


Arcana Imperii

by Noctem31



Series: Eternal Darkness [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abusive Dursley Family, Dark Harry, Dark Harry Potter, Dark Royalty, Dumbledore Bashing, Elemental Magic, F/M, International Dark Council, M/M, Manipulative Dumbledore, Oblivious Harry, Parent Bellatrix, Parent Voldemort, Pureblood Culture, Pureblood Politics, Pureblood Society, Purebloods, Sane Bellatrix Black Lestrange, Sane Voldemort, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slytherin, Slytherin Harry, Slytherin Harry Potter, Smart Harry Potter, The Imperial Academy Of Magic, Weasley Bashing, international politics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-09
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2018-12-25 20:41:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 60,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12043881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noctem31/pseuds/Noctem31
Summary: Vasilis Marvolo Slytherin, son of the Dark Lord Voldemort, was once known as a boy named Harry Potter. He has been abused, manipulated, and lied to by the leader of the Light, Albus Dumbledore for his entire life. Now united with his true family, his father's fight becomes his own. Will Albus Dumbledore be able to survive the force that is the Dark Prince? Or will he die along with all those who dared to oppose the Dark Family.BOOK TWO-





	1. Come Back To Us

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own anything related to the Harry Potter franchise. All credit goes to my favorite person J.K. Rowling. 
> 
> There will be talk of abuse and serious violence later on for those who do not like to read about such topics.

**April 16th 1992, Slytherin Castle**

 

The Dark Lord and Lady were walking through the gardens, enjoying the cool morning air when the Dark Lord felt the castle’s wards tremble. He stopped walking, and looked at his wife with a confused expression on his face.

“Someone is here. I altered the wards recently so that only the two of us, and Vasilis could enter. It must be him, but he is not suppose to be home until tomorrow...”

A feeling of dread rose up within him. There was only one reason Vasilis would have left Hogwarts early.

Dumbledore.

Bella seemed to realize this at the same time he did, because they both disappeared within clouds of black smoke. They used their skills in unassisted flight to reach the apparition point as quickly as possible.

Voldemort picked up speed once he saw his son’s body lying on the stone path with Alekos wrapped protectively around him, and landed directly beside him.

There was so much blood he was almost certain his beloved son was dead. He collapsed on his knees by his side, and only distantly heard Bella’s tormented sobbing. He noticed his son’s chest rise and fall with rapid, shallow breaths, and saw the vial of unused elixir around his neck.

The Dark Lord didn’t hesitate to uncork the vial, and pour the contents into Vasilis’ mouth. He massaged his boy’s throat, to help him swallow, and began casting every healing spell he knew.

Voldemort’s heart was pounding madly in his chest, and he could think of nothing else besides his son.

Vasilis couldn’t die, he wasn’t going to allow it.

He studied his son’s body, looking closely for all injuries. He growled fiercely as he noticed Vasilis was missing part of his left, arm, and his eyes were bloody, looking as if they had been shredded.

The Dark Lord saw red, and it took everything he had to concentrate on the task at hand. It seemed like the the elixir was healing most of his injuries, thankfully, but his breathing was still rapid, and he looked as pale as a ghost.

Voldemort looked up momentarily, and yelled,

“WARPY!”

The house elf appeared only a second later, and he ordered,

“Bring me blood replenishing potions, now!”

The house elf nodded, and returned only seconds later. Bella took the potions out of the elves hands, and began pouring them into their son’s mouth, massaging his throat as Voldemort had done with the elixir.

While she was feeding Vasilis the potions, the Dark Lord studied his son’s arm. The bleeding had stopped, and the skin was knitting itself back together, but even the elixir of life could not grow back whole limbs.

He decided to focus his attention on his child’s eyes instead. The elixir was knitting the flesh back together, like it had done with his arm, but he didn’t know if the elixir would be able to repair his sight.

He cast several extremely Dark healing spells to ensure Vasilis’ eyes would be able to function correctly again. He wasn’t about to allow Dumbledore to cripple his son.

Once he was finished healing him to the best of his abilities, Voldemort lifted his child off of the ground. Vasilis was completely limp in his arms, and cold to the touch. He looked towards Bella as she asked in a broken voice,

“Marvolo, his arm… what are we going to do?”

He shook his head,

“We will worry about that later Bella. First, we need to get him to the hospital wing in Malfoy Manor.”

He avoided saying out loud that he thought Vasilis could still die from this, or at the very least end up losing some of his mental capacity. Healing wasn’t the Dark Lord’s strongest subject, but he knew enough about the human body to know the extreme blood loss could cause Vasilis to die from shock, or damage his brain from lack of oxygen.

Both the Dark Lord and Lady apparated to Malfoy Manor, and walked quickly through the corridors to the hospital wing. Bella flicked her wrist, opening the doors with a crash, and yelled out,

“Healer Andrews, get your team over here now!”

The healer jumped up from the chair he had been sitting in, and rushed to their side.

Voldemort placed his son gently onto one of the hospital beds, and backed away to allow the healers to work. Only then did Alekos unwrap himself from Vasilis’ body, and move out of the way. The black snake slithered up and wrapped himself around the Dark Lord’s shoulders.

He leaned against the wall in defeat, and noticed his son’s lips were now blue in color. He watched as Healer Andrews cast a monitoring spell. Voldemort heard his son’s heart beating quickly, and he listened carefully as Healer Andrews murmured,

“Rapid heart rate, cold and pale skin, loss of consciousness, weak pulse… he has gone into extreme hypovolemic shock. Give him five vials of blood replenishing potion intravenously. Now.”

He watched another healer start an IV, and cast additional healing spells. Bella was sobbing beside him, so he pulled her into his arms, and held her tightly.

It was then that he noticed he had tears running down his face. He couldn’t remember the last time he had cried for any reason. He conjured a wall between them and the rest of the occupants in the hospital wing who were watching the proceedings. His followers didn’t need to see their leaders in such a vulnerable state.

They waited for what felt like hours for the healers to finish saving his son’s life, and just when they thought he was improving, everything went to hell.

The Dark Lord’s knees buckled when he heard his son’s heart stop beating.

He landed hard on his knees, with Bella still clutching him tightly. Vasilis had lost too much blood, he wasn’t going to survive this.

Voldemort couldn’t breathe. It felt as if someone had hit him in the chest with a sledge hammer. Dumbledore had once lectured the Hogwarts students on the importance of love when he was a boy. He had laughed during that lecture because he did not believe in love at the time. He didn’t believe he was capable of experiencing such an emotion, and he had been glad he couldn’t feel love. Voldemort once saw love as a weakness.

But then he had met his wife, and she had turned his entire world upside down. From that point on, she stood by his side, loving him, and caring for him. At that time, the Dark Lord believed she was the only person he would ever be capable of loving.  

He had been wrong.

The day he found out Bella was pregnant, he realized he was capable of loving someone else besides her. He loved his son instantly, and that feeling only grew stronger the day he was born.

His family meant everything to him, and now it was going to be torn apart. Bella sobbed miserably into his chest, and all he could do was hold her, and try to prevent himself from falling apart completely.

Voldemort looked up towards the bed and watched the healers run around frantically, trying to revive his son.

He bent down a little and whispered into his wife’s ear,

“Our son needs us Bella. He always was stronger when he was with me. We have to bring him back.”

She nodded, and they both forced themselves to stand. Bella walked around the bed to stand on his right side, and clutched Vasilis’ hand, while Voldemort stood on his left side.

The Dark Lord took his son’s face in his shaking hands, and touched their foreheads together as he whispered,

“You have to come back to us my son. Please, _please_ come back to us. You are not dying today.”

Voldemort sent a pulse of raw magic from his core into Vasilis, and continued speaking to him softly.

He heard it then, one quiet heart beat.

He heard Bella gasp, but he didn’t look in her direction. Instead, he continued sending a gentle flow of his raw magic into their son, while he whispered encouragements.

Another beat, stronger this time.  

The Dark Lord sent a stronger pulse, and nearly laughed out loud when Vasilis’ heart started beating at a steady pace. The Healers all gasped in surprise, and gave Vasilis more blood replenishing, and healing potions.

He looked up towards his wife, who grabbed his face, and kissed him fiercely for a moment, before whispering,

“You did it. Whatever you just did saved our son. I love you so much. You saved him.”

He just nodded, before looking back down at his son’s face. He let out a sigh of relief, and ran his fingers through Vasilis’ hair in a calming manner.

He stayed in that position for another half an hour, giving Vasilis doses of his magic regularly. Eventually Healer Andrews spoke,

“My Lord? My Lady?”

They both looked to the man expectantly, and listened as he said,

“The Prince is stable now. His blood pressure has risen to almost normal levels, his pulse is strong, and his breathing is normal. If you would allow me to do so, I would like to cast several diagnostic spells on his brain to determine if he has suffered any brain damage due to blood loss.”

They both stepped back slightly to give the healer room to work, and waited nervously for a diagnosis. After several minutes of watching the man wave his wand in complex patterns, they saw a green light glow above Vasilis head. Voldemort turned to the healer and asked somewhat sharply,

“What is it? What is his status?”

Healer Andrews didn’t pay any attention to his tone, and smiled as he said,

“It is good news My Lord. Your son has not experienced any brain damage. It is truly a miracle...”

They both let out sighs of relief, and listened as the healer continued,

“He is currently in a magical coma, which will allow his magical core to heal from the trauma he experienced today. I expect he will be asleep for the next several days at least. Due to the spells you cast on his eyes My Lord, his eyesight should return to normal. There is even a possibility his vision could be better than before, but I recommend he wears bandages over them for at least a week to ensure they are healed. As for his arm… I am afraid there is nothing I can do. There are no spells or potions that I know of to regrow limbs...”

The Dark Lord waved him off and replied,

“Leave that to me. I already have an idea that will give him a new arm. If that is all Healer Andrews, you may go. If anyone asks to see us, tell them we are not allowing any visitors. Thank you.”

The healer seemed very surprised by his thanks, and bowed deeply before leaving the private room the Dark Lord had crafted.  

Voldemort looked towards his wife, and noticed how badly she was shaking. He walked around the hospital bed, and conjured a plush arm chair for her to sit in. He made her sit down, and whispered reassuringly,

“He is going to be okay now Bella. He is still alive, and here with us.”

She just nodded and wrapped her arms around herself protectively. He kissed her once, before calling for Warpy. The house elf appeared a moment later, and asked,

“Lord Master sir, what cans I be doings for you sir?”

“Bring us fresh coffee, a blanket for my wife, and my notes from my office on transfiguration and conjuring.”

The small elf nodded vigorously, and popped away, before returning a minute later with all of the requested items. Voldemort took the blanket and wrapped it around Bella’s shoulders as he asked

“Are you alright?”

She nodded and whispered,

“Yes, I will be fine. I am just shaken up. This wasn’t how I imagined I would finally meet our son.”

Bella reached to take Vasilis’ hand again, and continued,

“He looks so grown up, and so much like you. We almost lost him again… We can’t continue to allow this to happen Marvolo. We have to protect him.”

Tears were flowing from her eyes again, so he pulled her into his arms and spoke firmly,

“Nothing like this will ever happen again Bella. I will do whatever it takes to ensure his safety. Dumbledore is going to pay for everything he has done. I will not allow him to get away with this.”

She leaned into his embrace, and nodded,

“That man must die. As long as he is alive, our son will never be completely safe.”

He could feel her barely contained anger through their bond, and Voldemort himself was absolutely livid. The only thing preventing him from going to Hogwarts and killing Dumbledore right then and there, was the desire to fix his son’s arm. He had an idea already starting to form in his mind, and he wanted to complete his work before Vasilis became conscious again.

Plotting Dumbledore's demise could wait just a few days.

Bella must have read his thoughts through the bond, because she said,

“Don’t worry about me, go find a way to fix this. I am fine.”

The Dark Lord sighed deeply, and released her. He handed her one of the cups of coffee Warpy had made for them, which she took gratefully. He took the other one for himself, and conjured another armchair, along with a table for his work.

Voldemort sat down and ran his fingers along Alekos back gently,

_“Alekos, what happened to my son?”_

The snake seemed furious as it hissed,

_“Dumbledore froze everyone during feeding time, including Master’s people, they weren’t moving. He attacked my Master. Master fought back, and put goat man in a ball of water. He used his broom to fly out the window towards the forest to escape, but wolf man made him fall to the ground. Master’s chest was hurt, and wolf man got on top of Master to hurt him, but I bit the wolf man and killed him. Master ran towards the forest again, but Dumbledore attacked him again. He cut off Master’s arm with a spell, and Master screamed. Master knew he couldn’t win, so he ran. Goat man made Master fall again and cut his back, so Master had to drag himself to the forest. Master made it past the wards, and Dumbledore cast a spell to hurt Master’s eyes. Master was too weak, and couldn’t move, so I used his portkey to bring him to you.”_

Anger was flowing through Voldemort’s veins, and Bella looked equally furious. She had understood everything Alekos had said, due to the soul bond they shared. The bond allowed them to share certain magical abilities.

Neither of them said anything, and they forced themselves to calm down. They didn’t want their magic to harm their son any further. The Dark Lord looked towards his young son one last time, and ran his fingers through his hair, before immersing himself in his work.

He had to find a way to fix this.

 

 

* * *

 

**April 16th 1992, Hogwarts Great Hall**

 

One second they were all preparing to protect their Prince, and leave the Great Hall, and the next second he was completely gone. He disappeared, and they had no idea where he went.

Draco and the other’s looked around frantically for any sign of him, but there was nothing. He looked towards the head table, and noticed Dumbledore sitting there calmly, eating his breakfast.

Panic shot through him. What had Dumbledore done to Vasilis?

He looked towards Severus, and noticed the dark haired man also had a look of worry on his face. Draco stood from his place at the Slytherin table, and hissed to the other members of the Inner Circle,

“Felix, split the Inner Circle up into groups of five and start searching the castle for any sign of him. I am going to speak with Severus. Keep your journals on you at all times incase one of us finds anything.”

Everyone nodded, and stood from the table. Draco headed towards the head table, while the rest of them left the Great Hall in groups.

He approached Severus at the table and asked,

“Professor Snape sir, may I please have a moment of your time? I am having trouble on the last potions assignment you gave us.”

Severus nodded and motioned for Draco to follow him from the Great Hall. They walked silently through the castle, until they reached Severus’ office. Once the door was closed behind them, the potions master cast several strong privacy wards, and asked,

“What happened? Where did he go?”

Draco just shook his head,

“We don’t know! One minute he was there, and the next he was gone. Just before he disappeared, his snake started speaking to him. Vasilis looked worried, as if he thought something was wrong so he started to leave, and that's when he disappeared. He is just gone and we have no idea where he is!”

Severus placed a hand on his shoulder and said firmly,

“We will find him Draco, you must calm down if you want to do that.”

He sighed and nodded,

“Someone needs to tell Uncle Marvolo. If anyone can find Vasilis, it is him. He will want to know.”

“Yes he must know. I will send word, but first, have your friends found anything?”

Draco pulled out his journal then, and noticed the leather cover had turned white. He opened it, and saw a message from Miles,

**_We have found a piece of our Prince’s broom lodged in a tree outside the castle near the forbidden forest, and a very small amount of blood. It looks as if someone had tried to clean up the blood and missed a small spot. What should we do?_ **

Panic raced through Draco, and he showed the message to Severus. His godfather read the message quickly, and told him,

“Write back and tell them to search near the edge of the wards. If Vasilis was trying to escape, he would have needed to reach the wards. We must join them immediately.”

Draco relayed the message right away, before they left  Severus’ office and walked toward the forbidden forest.

As they got closer, they realized most of the Inner Circle had joined the search near the wards. Miles was the first to see Draco and Severus, so he approached them and said,

“We haven’t found anything yet. Only the broom and the blood.”

Severus spoke up then,

“Show us.”

Miles nodded and lead them over to an old pine tree. He pointed up, and they saw a piece of the broom handle lodged between two branches, they could faintly see ‘Vasilis Slytherin’ engraved onto the handle. Draco accioed it down from the tree and placed it in his pocket. Miles then lead them over to an area of underbrush, about twenty feet from where they found the broom. He gestured towards several leaves which were covered with crimson red blood.

Severus immediately took out his wand, and cast an identification spell. Vasilis’ name appeared above the blood only a moment later, and Draco’s heart sunk. He turned to his godfather and whispered,

“Severus we have to speak to Uncle Marvolo.”

Severus nodded in agreement, and spoke loud enough for the rest of the Inner Circle to hear,

“Keep searching. We will be back.”

The potions master then grabbed Draco, and pulled him across the wards. They apparated to Malfoy Manor, and were greeted by a house elf in the entrance hall,

“What cans Pinky be doing for Master Draco sir?”

“Pinky is the Dark Lord here?”

Pinky nodded quickly and replied,

“Yes Master Draco sir. He came here with Master Prince and Mistress Dark Lady just a little whiles ago. They is in the hospital wing.”

Panic flew through Draco, and he took off at a dead sprint towards the hospital wing. Severus wasn’t far behind him, and they were both breathless by the time they flew through the doors. They looked around for the Dark Family, and noticed a section of the hospital wing had been blocked off from the rest. There was only one healer present, so they approached him and asked,

“What happened? Is the Dark Prince alright?”

Healer Luke shook his head and shrugged,

“I do not know. They brought him in about 15 minutes ago. The Dark Lord and Lady called all of the healers to work on the Prince, and then created that wall not long after. I do not know what is happening now.”

Draco glared at the man,

“Well can you find out what is happening?”

Severus placed a hand on his shoulder then and said,

“Draco, the Dark Lord and Lady, and a large team of healers are with him now. They created that wall for a reason. They want privacy.”

Draco dropped his head in defeat, and listened as his godfather continued,

“Write the Inner Circle, tell them he is here. Tell them to go to class and go about their day normally. We will contact them when we know more.”

The Malfoy heir nodded, and pulled out his journal before writing,

**_Vasilis is here with his parents. He is in a private room of the hospital wing with a team of healers right now. We don’t know anything more than that. Go to class and act normal, I will tell you when I learn more. Keep an eye on the goat._ **

Blaise wrote back a moment later,

**_Is he going to be okay? What the hell happened? How did Vasilis disappear one moment, and then end up within the Dark Order’s hospital wing?_ **

Draco sighed deeply and replied,

**_I don’t know. I don’t know if he is okay, and I have no idea what happened. I will tell you when I know more._ **

He put his journal back in his robes, and Severus called for Pinky,

“Master potion sir, what cans Pinky be doings for you sir?”

“Pinky tell Lord and Lady Malfoy, and Rodolphus to come to the hospital wing immediately.”

The house elf popped away, and several minutes later, his mother and father entered the hospital wing. His father looked at him with a worried expression on his face and asked,

“Draco why are you here? What has happened?”

Rodolphus limped into the hospital wing with his cane then, and approached them. Once Vasilis’ godfather was standing beside his mother, Severus explained the whole story.

By the time he finished, Rodolphus was completely pale, so Severus wrapped an arm around his waist and conjured a chair for him to sit in. The rugged looking man sat down hard in the chair, and stared longingly towards the blocked off section of the hospital wing.

Severus conjured chairs for the rest of them to sit in, and no one said anything after that. They all sat in anxious silence, waiting for any news on Vasilis.

It was about 30 minutes later when they felt a strong wave of the Dark Lord’s magic. It was filled with pain and anguish. The emotions were so strong, it took Draco’s breath away. He looked towards his parents and whispered,

“Mum, Dad, what happened?”

Narcissa had tears in her eyes and pulled Draco onto her lap.

“Hush Draco.”

The blond haired boy leaned into her embrace as the tears started to fall. Something terrible had happened, but he didn’t want to believe it. He told himself over and over again that his cousin was going to be fine, he had to be. He couldn’t die.

Severus had his arms wrapped tightly around Rodolphus, and Draco could see the man’s shoulders shaking in silent sobs. Even Severus looked like he was in pain.

They continued sitting there in silent misery for another 45 minutes, before the healers emerged from the room.

Draco immediately ran over to them and asked quickly,

“Is he okay?”

A man names Healer Andrews nodded and gave him a tired smile,

“Yes, the Prince is still alive. He sustained some very serious injuries, and suffered from extreme blood loss. The blood loss caused him to go into shock, and made his heart stop for a few moments, but the Dark Lord was able to bring him back. The Dark Prince is currently stable, and we believe he will make a full recovery.”

Part of Draco wanted to cry again after hearing his cousin’s heart had stopped, but a larger part of him was just glad he was alive now.

“Can we see him, please?”

Healer Andrew’s frowned and shook his head sadly,

“I am afraid not Mr. Malfoy. The Dark Lord and Lady have asked for privacy. They do not wish to see any visitors at the moment.”

Draco’s shoulders slumped in disappointment, but his father picked him up and carried him back to the chairs they had been sitting in.

“Draco, he is alive and that is what matters. It is understandable that the Dark Lord and Lady wish for privacy right now. They almost lost their son. Give them time and I am sure they will allow you to see him.”

Draco nodded and leaned into his father’s shoulder. He felt exhausted from the events of this morning. His father must have noticed this because he whispered,

“Rest my son. I will wake you when the Dark Lord and Lady come out of the hospital room.”

The Malfoy heir didn’t need to be told twice. He drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep in only a few short moments.

Draco was awoken many hours later by his father gently shaking his shoulder,

“Draco, the Dark Lord is here.”

The blond boy stood up instantly, and spotted his uncle standing by the door of the private room. The man looked terrible. His gray robes were covered in dried blood, his eyes were bloodshot, his hair was a mess, and he looked exhausted. The man normally looked clean-cut, and powerful. Draco had never seen him so disheveled before.

Before he even knew what he was doing, he ran over to his uncle and threw his arms around the tall man’s waist,

“Uncle Marvolo is he okay?”

The Dark Lord surprised him then, by picking him up into his arms. He ruffled Draco’s hair and nodded,

“Yes he will be okay. Would you like to see him?”

Draco nodded quickly, and his uncle carried him into the private hospital room. The man shut the door behind them, and set Draco down.

He immediately noticed a dark haired woman sitting by his cousin’s bedside, holding his hand. Despite looking as disheveled as the Dark Lord, she was still beautiful. She looked almost exactly like his mother, and he instantly knew this was the Dark Lady.

She gave him a tired smile and said,

“You look exactly like Lucius Malfoy, so you must be my nephew Draco?”

He returned her smile and nodded,

“Yes My Lady.”

She shook her head and beckoned for him to come closer,

“No none of that. Call me Aunt Bella.”

She gave him a hug, which he happily returned. Draco turned then to look at his unconscious cousin. Vasilis had bandages covering his eyes, along with bandages around his left arm. He frowned deeply as guilt filled him, and asked brokenly,

“What happened to him?”

The Dark Lord moved to sit on the opposite side of the bed and replied,

“Dumbledore attacked him, and nearly killed him. According to Alekos, Dumbledore froze all of you temporarily, and attacked Vasilis while you were all completely unaware. Vasilis lost part of his left arm, and his eyesight trying to escape. Thankfully I was able to repair his eyesight, and I am currently looking for a way to create a new arm for him.”

Draco gaped at his uncle and shook his head,

“Dumbledore did all of that?! How? Why? Oh merlin, I should have known something was going to happen. Vasilis was panicking just before he disappeared. He knew something was going to happen, and I should have.. I should have found a way to stop the freezing spell. Then I could have protected him…”

His aunt pulled him into another hug and said,

“No Draco. Dumbledore is much too powerful. You wouldn’t have been able to stop him. You protected Vasilis to the best of your ability, and that is what matters. Thank you.”

Draco didn’t feel like he had done his best to protect his leader, but he nodded anyways.

“Draco.”

He looked towards the Dark Lord, who gave him a serious look as he said,

“You must not return to Hogwarts. You are his cousin, and our nephew. Dumbledore could try to use you against us. Tell Felix and Blaise they are in charge from this point on. Tell them to continue my son’s work.”

Draco nodded, and watched as his uncle stood up again.

“You should go and rest. It is late. You may come back tomorrow and see him, along with your parents, and Rodolphus. Please tell Severus to return to Hogwarts. Tell him he may use whatever lie necessary to make sure Dumbledore is not suspicious of him.”

He sighed and gave both his aunt and uncle a hug,

“Thank you for letting me see him Uncle Marvolo.”

“You are welcome. Goodnight.”

Draco left the hospital room in a daze. He couldn’t believe the injuries his cousin had sustained due to that disgusting man. Someday, he would kill him for everything he had done to the Dark Family.

 

* * *

 

 

**April 22nd 1992, Malfoy Manor Hospital Wing**

 

Sometimes Vasilis thought he could hear the voices of his mother and father, but then he reminded himself that he was dead. It wasn’t possible for him to hear them anymore. He sat alone in the darkness for an undeterminable amount of time, feeling alone and miserable.

He just wanted to be with his family.

Eventually he could feel himself trying to wake up. The voices became more common, and he began to feel pain. All of this confused him, because he knew he was dead. Why would he be trying to wake up if he were dead? None of it made sense to him.

As the pain and voices became more frequent, he entertained the possibility that he might actually be alive. He decided to test his theory by willing himself to wake up. Everytime he pushed harder, and he could feel himself getting closer.

He pushed harder, and used the images of his parents to force himself to wake up. He wanted to get back to them. He had to.

It took him many attempts, but eventually he made himself wake up.

The very first thing Vasilis realized was that he couldn’t see, and he remembered how Dumbledore had blinded him. Panic seized him, and he began to shake uncontrollably. He had never felt more vulnerable in his life. He needed to be able to see. He needed his vision to be able to protect himself. He couldn’t survive without it.

Vasilis felt someone grab his face in their hands and touch their forehead to his. He tried to jerk away from the unknown person, until he heard his father’s strong voice,

“Calm down my son, it is just me. Everything is alright. You are safe now.”

He let out a broken sob as he replied,

“Father I can’t see. Merlin I can’t see… I can’t be blind, _please_ help me.”

The Dark Lord ran his fingers through his hair and reassured him,

“Vasilis breathe. Calm down. I healed your eyes. You will be able to see again I promise. You are just wearing bandages over them right now. You are not blind.”

“W-What about my arm? It’s gone…”

“Can you feel this?”

Vasilis gasped as he felt someone hold his left hand. How was that possible?

“What did you do Father? How did you heal my arm?”

“I didn’t heal it. Not exactly. I created a new arm for you, using conjuring and transfiguration spells. How does it feel?”

Vasilis opened and closed his fist, and touched the bed sheets underneath his hand.

“It feels just like my real hand. I can’t tell the difference.”

He heard his father let out a sigh of relief,

“Excellent. I have a surprise for you.”

Vasilis felt his father back away from him, and someone else hugged him gently. He gasped when he heard that same soft voice he had heard during his mirror call with his father.

“Hello my son. I have missed you dearly.”

He choked out a pitiful sob and wrapped his arms tightly around his mother's neck.

“Mother..”

She just held him as he cried for what felt like hours, and pet his hair gently. He breathed in her calming scent of jasmine and books, and reveled in the love he felt radiating out through her magic. This was her… the woman he had dreamed of meeting for so long. Vasilis couldn’t see her face, but it didn’t matter. She was already so much more perfect than he had ever imagined.  

After a while, when he had calmed down a little she whispered,

“I love you so much. I cannot believe how much you have grown. I am so proud of you. You have accomplished so much, and you are so strong.”

He sniffed quietly and replied,

“I love you too. I have missed you so much. I… I can’t believe you are here. I lived most of my life thinking my parents were dead, and now I have both of you back.”

He heard his father walk around the bed, and place a kiss on the top of his head before saying,

“My family is together again at last. I have waited a very long time for this.”

Vasilis just nodded and clutched his mother tighter. He never wanted to let her go.

After a few minutes of content silence, the Dark Lord said,

“I am going to retrieve Healer Andrews, I would like him to check on you. I will be back in a few moments.”

Vasilis reluctantly released his mother when he heard his father and Healer Andrews enter the room a few minute later, and listened as the healer said,

“Hello My Prince, it is wonderful to see you awake again. Now if I may, I would like to run several diagnostic tests on you to ensure your body is healed. How is your pain?”

Vasilis hadn’t noticed until that moment how sore he was.

“My chest hurts, and my entire body is sore.”

He heard the healer murmur several pain relieving spells, and breathed a sigh of relief when he felt the spells take effect.

“Has your pain lessened My Prince?”

“Yes, it is much better now.”

“Good, good. I am going to begin casting the diagnostic spells now.”

Vasilis waited in silence for the man to finish, and it was several minutes later when the man stopped muttering incantations in latin.

“My Prince, you seem to be recovering very well. In fact, I believe we can take the bandages off of your eyes now.”

Vasilis waited anxiously for the man to finish unwrapping the bandages, and hissed in pain as he opened them for the first time since waking up. The light seemed extraordinarily bright, and it took a while for his eyes to adjust. Eventually, he was able to see clearly, and he smiled when he saw his parents faces. They were perfect, and seeing both of them here with him was nearly overwhelming. They each returned his smile, and his father asked,

“Well.. how is your vision?”

He looked around the room, and noticed everything seemed more clear, and vibrant than before. Colors were much more vivid, and he could see small details he never would have noticed before.

“It is excellent. Better than before even.”

He lifted up his left arm then, curious to see what his father had created for him. He couldn’t help the gasp that escaped him as he observed his new arm. It was stunning. It looked like pure gold, and it shined in the light as he turned it over. To finish it off his father had engraved three white snakes with red eyes into the metal, and charmed them to move. Vasilis laughed a little as he pet one of the snakes, and it tilted his head to give him better access. It was without a doubt his father's most impressive invention.

He looked towards the Dark Lord and smiled brightly,

“Thank you Father. It is perfect.”

His father chuckled and moved to sit on the edge of his hospital bed.

“I am glad you like it. Healer Andrews… unless there are any other health issues we need to worry about, I would like to take my son home now.”

The healer smiled,

“I do not have any additional concerns regarding your son’s health. He is doing well. I do however recommend that he stays in bed for the next several days.”

The Dark Lord nodded,

“Very well. You may go.”

Once the healer had left the room, Vasilis’ mother approached him and hugged him again. He leaned into her embrace and smiled brightly.

“Mother will you stay with me while I am stuck in bed for the next few days?”

She pulled away a little, and laughed as she ran her fingers through his hair,

“Yes of course I will, I want to know you better. We have many years to make up for.”

His eyes glistened with tears of happiness. He now had everything he could ever want. His father transfigured his hospital gown into pristine black robes, before picking him up off of the bed. He set Vasilis on his hip, and the young prince leaned into his father’s shoulder contently.

Vasilis laughed as Alekos moved from the Dark Lord’s shoulders to his own and wrapped around him protectively,

_“Thank you Alekos.You saved my life.”_

His beloved familiar hissed happily and replied,

_“It is my job Master.”_

The Dark Lady took his father’s arm then, and they all left the private hospital room together. There were many people waiting for them in the main hospital area, but they paid them no attention as they left the area completely.

Vasilis couldn’t wipe the smile off of his face the whole walk to the apparition point, and just before they all apparated, he said truthfully.

“I love you both so much.”

His mother’s dark eyes filled with love and she dusted her fingertips across his cheek.

“We love you too. Let’s go home.”


	2. Travels

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a rather relaxed chapter, which is necessary after the last two chapters I think. I hope you are all up for some family bonding! I am sorry that this chapter is shorter than usual, the next one should be longer I think.

**April 25th 1992, Slytherin Castle**

 

“Your father once pulled a prank on the Gryffindors in his fourth year. They had thrown an extra ingredient into his potion during potions class one day, nearly causing it to explode. So in order to extract revenge, he invented a new ward and placed it around the Great Hall. The ward affected anyone who made an unpleasant comment about a Slytherin, and turned their hair, skin, and robes silver and green. He told me the Gryffindors were livid, and it took the Professors nearly three weeks to figure out what was causing them to change colors.”

Vasilis laughed then, and shook his head,

“I just can’t see father pulling a prank on anyone. He seems way too serious for that.”

His mother laughed quietly and replied,

“He has always been a serious person, but he does occasionally like to have fun. I know he had a lot of fun during his travels around the world before we met. You will have to ask him about it sometime. I believe becoming a Dark Lord made him a much more serious person, which is understandable.”

The Dark Lord chose that moment to walk into Vasilis’ bedroom. He smirked and asked,

“Are you saying I am no longer fun Bella? I do believe you and I have had a lot of fun over the years.”

His mother blushed terribly, and swatted his father’s arm as he sat down on the side of his bed. Vasilis couldn’t help but laugh again. He was quickly realizing his father loved to tease his mother whenever possible. Vasilis found their whole relationship very amusing, and he was happy his parents had been reunited again. It was obvious how much happier his father was when his mother was near.

“Mother was just telling me you traveled a lot when you were young. Where did you travel Father?”

The Dark Lord laid down on the side of Vasilis’ bed then. He placed his hands behind his head casually, and stared at the ceiling for awhile before saying,

“I spent nearly 20 years traveling the world after leaving Hogwarts. When I was young I knew I had the power necessary to become a Dark Lord. However, I lacked the knowledge and skills I would need to succeed in my mission. You can only learn so much from the Hogwarts restricted section, and visits to knockturn alley. I started my travels in 1946, after spending a few years working at Borgin and Burkes. From 1946 until 1948 I didn’t venture far from Britain. I traveled to places like France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria and Poland. I spent that time learning any obscure Dark Arts I could manage to get my hands on. Although, I didn’t find much during that time. It wasn’t until the end of 1948 when things started to get… interesting, I suppose you could say. That was when I traveled to Romania for the first time and I happened to run into the Vampire Lord. He was going to kill me and drink my blood for a meal, but then he sensed my magic. He said I was a Dark Lord in the making, and he could feel I would do good things for the Dark some day.”

His father paused for a moment, and stared off into the distance as if he were reliving the memory. Vasilis was listening to his story with rapt attention. He didn’t know many details about his father’s past, except for his life at the orphanage.  

“Anyways, I managed to convince Lord Acciai to teach me about Dark Magic. He took me with him back to the Vulcan Citadel in Romania where I studied until 1950, learning everything I could about the true born Vampires, and Dark Magic. The Vampire Lord actually helped me become a dueling master. You could say the Vampire Lord and I share a friendship now. He is one of my closest allies today.”

Vasilis’ jaw had dropped by that point,

“Wait… you lived with the Vampires and the Vampire Lord was basically your mentor?! Why didn’t you tell me that?!”

His father chuckled,

“Yes he was, and I didn’t tell you because it has never come up before.”

“What was it like?”

“It was… sensational, to say the least. The Vulcan Citadel is very beautiful, and there was always so much to learn. I could have spent another 50 years there, and still never learned everything they had to offer. I only left because I was eager to continue my journey, and become a Dark Lord.”

The Prince just shook his head in amazement. His father had experienced so much in his life that Vasilis almost felt like he was behind in his studies. He knew so little compared to the Dark Lord.

“Where did you travel after Romania Father?”

“From 1950 to 1952 I lived in Italy, and Greece. The ancient Greek and Roman witches and wizards were highly advanced in their studies of all branches of magic, especially warding. By the end of 1952 I had become a ward master. I then spent a year in Egypt mastering ritual magic in the underground magical community. From 1953-1955 I traveled the Middle East, mastering black magic. Hmmmm… lets see… After that I spent a year in India practicing necromancy….”

Vasilis frowned deeply then,

“Father I thought in order to become a necromancer you had to give up all interaction with other people? But… you have a family now?”

Voldemort nodded,

“Yes that is true. True masters of necromancy do not interact with other people, which is why I did not seek to master necromancy. Becoming a master would have meant I couldn’t speak to another person, touch another person, or even be near another person. I couldn’t have become a Dark Lord if I had mastered necromancy, which is why I only went so far as to learn how to create inferi for an army if necessary.”

Vasilis nodded in understanding, and listened as his father continued his story,

“After living in India, I traveled to the Himalayan Mountains in Nepal, and spent a year alone meditating, and perfecting, my wandless magic and elemental abilities. Towards the end of my time there I even climbed Mount Everest, just to say I did it, I suppose. It took me over a month to do it, and I had to use a bubble head charm for oxygen when the air became too thin. After I reached the peak, I jumped, and used my elemental abilities to travel back down to the base of the mountain. It was... an exhilarating experience.”

The Dark Lord had a look of excitement in his eyes, and Vasilis couldn’t help but feel jealous. He doubted he would have half of the freedom to travel like his father did. Voldemort was soon going to become the leader of a country, and Vasilis was destined to help him rule.

As if sensing his thoughts, his father gave him a smile and said,

“Vasilis, if you ever wanted to travel like I did, of course you would be allowed to do so. It would be an excellent learning experience for you. We are immortal, and we have an eternity to rule. You have all the time in the world to do everything you want. In fact… would you like to see the memory of Everest?”

Vasilis smiled and nodded quickly. His father aimed his hand towards his bedroom door and murmured,

“ _Accio Pensieve.”_

A moment later, a circular basin entered the room. The Dark Lord moved it to the center of Vasilis’ bed, and put the tip of his wand to his temple. The young prince watched as his father removed a memory from his mind, and placed it in the pensieve. The man gestured for Vasilis to view the memory, so he slowly dipped his head into the silvery liquid.

Suddenly his bedroom disappeared, and was replaced by a white, snowy landscape. Vasilis spun around slowly, and took in the glorious sight before him. The mountains surrounded him in every direction, reaching high above the clouds, glinting in the sunlight. The clouds themselves prevented him from seeing the ground, making the place feel isolated and peaceful. It was like being in a completely different world. Vasilis had never seen anything more beautiful than this, and he doubted he would ever see anything more beautiful in his life.

He turned to his right quickly when he heard his father’s rich laugh. He smiled when he saw the Dark Lord, looking the same age he currently did, kneeling there in the snow, wearing thick, black winter clothing, with a bubblehead charm placed just over his mouth. His father had a glint of triumph and awe in his eyes as he took in the scene before him.

Vasilis watched as his father stood from his kneeling position, and moved closer to the edge of the mountain peak. Voldemort spent another ten minutes observing the mountains and winter landscape surrounding him, before he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and jumped.

The Dark Prince gasped as his own image began following the memory of the Dark Lord. He watched in awe as his father  landed on a sheet of ice, shaped almost like a muggle snowboard and slid a short distance down the mountain. After about thirty seconds, the man neared a cliff, but he made no move to stop. Instead, he bent down a little, and leaned forward to force himself to go faster. Vasilis’ eyes widened as he watched his father slide right off of the cliff, and begin to spin downward, freefalling into thin air. The Dark Lord didn’t seem the least bit worried about his situation, and he laughed as he continued falling. Vasilis had never seen the man look so carefree and young before, and it was truly fascinating to watch.

He began to worry slightly as his father got closer, and closer to the mountain with every second that passed by. Just when he thought for sure the Dark Lord was going to hit the mountainside, a giant slide of ice shot up into the air. It was truly impressive, and he couldn’t help but laugh happily as his father touched the slide in mid air, and it gradually curved with the mountain, easing his fall.

Just as Voldemort reached the bottom of the ice slide, he stood as he continued moving, and created another sheet of ice under his feet. Vasilis watched as his father leaned casually to the left and the right, avoiding boulders, and blocks of ice as he went racing down Everest.

After a while, the Dark Lord neared a rough glacier with may cracks and crevices, and Vasilis wondered how he planned to cross it with the slate of ice he was standing on.

Of course, his father wasn’t one to disappoint when it came to impressive shows of magic, and Vasilis laughed excitedly when Voldemort created his own avalanche.  

The avalanche acted like a wave, creating a surface that his father could still travel on easily, and he used it to travel the rest of the way down the mountain. The memory ended with his father reaching the base of Everest, before collapsing in the snow with a smile on his face.  

Vasilis gasped again as he was pulled out of the memory, and once again in his bedroom in Slytherin Castle. He automatically looked to his smiling father and exclaimed,

“That was brilliant! I have to do that someday!”

His mother cut in then by pulling him into a hug, and shaking her head while laughing,

“No, absolutely not. Your father acted like a Gryffindor and what he did was reckless. He could have been hurt, and I will not allow you to take that same risk.”

“Aw please mother? I am an elemental just like Father. I can do what he did, and I will be fine.”

She just shook her head again, so he looked to his father for help. The man just smiled and looked off towards his book shelves on the other side of his room. The feared Dark Lord was obviously not planning to argue with his wife, so Vasilis just laid back against his pillows with a huff,

“Fine. I won’t jump off of Mount Everest, but will you tell me more about your travels Father?”

The Dark Lord looked towards him again and nodded.

“Very well. After my time in Nepal, I traveled Asia. More specifically China, Burma, Vietnam, and Japan. I stayed in Asia from 1957 to 1959, practicing martial arts and other fighting techniques. That was where I first learned knife throwing, which is why I gave you a set of knives for Yule. I have found it to be a useful skill in the past.”

Vasilis nodded in understanding, and listened animatedly as his father continued speaking,

“Now… during my time in Asia, I heard rumours of an ancient tribe living deep in the Siberian forests. There were rumours that the tribe members were all experts in the Dark Arts, and practiced magic unknown to the rest of the world. But the rumours also said one would never find the tribe unless they wanted to be found. The stories made me curious, so once I had finished my training in Japan, I decided to go searching for them. I traveled the forest for nearly five weeks before they decided to reveal themselves to me. They didn’t speak, which was very strange. They didn’t even practice sign language, which made communicating extremely difficult. They taught me Dark Magic by letting me into their minds, and seeing their memories with Legilimency. I learned more about the Dark Arts in one year in Siberia than I did at any point in my travels. I left Siberia towards the end of 1960, and I left as a master of the Dark Arts. At that time, I probably knew enough to succeed as a Dark Lord, but I didn’t feel as if I had completed my journey…”

“My next destination was America. The Siberian tribe had told me about some of their ancestors who had relocated to America many thousands of years ago. They informed me through their thoughts and memories that their ancestors now lived the mountains in America, so that was where I went. I decided that the Rocky Mountains were the most obvious choice for relocation, and I spent two weeks searching for the tribe in the more remote regions of the mountains. It didn’t take nearly as long for this tribe to reveal itself to me, because they sensed I had lived with their kin in Siberia, and they trusted me. They took me in just like the Siberian tribe, and I soon learned that instead of being experts in the Dark Arts, they were experts in all areas of transfiguration, especially animal transfiguration. Once again, they taught me everything they knew through their thoughts and memories, since they did not speak. I lived with them from 1961-1963, mastering transfiguration. I even learned how to become an animagus during my time there.”

Vasilis’ jaw dropped. How had he not known any of this about his father before?!

“What is your animagus form Father?”

The Dark Lord smirked, and stood from the bed then. He moved to stand in the center of Vasilis’ bedroom, and knelt down on the floor before changing into his form.

Vasilis gasped as his father changed into a magnificent black lion with crimson eyes. He laughed as the enormous lion jumped back onto his bed, causing it to shake. Vasilis quickly grabbed his wand and cast reinforcement charms on his bed so it wouldn’t break. His father placed his large paws on his lap, and laid his head between them comfortably. He smiled as he ran his fingers through the Dark Lord’s pitch black mane.

Vasilis turned to his mother, who was watching this interaction with an amused look on her face.

“Mother did he teach you how to become an animagus too?”

She smiled, and stood from the bed, before turning into a black lion herself. He smiled brightly as she jumped on the bed and laid down next to his father.

“Do you both have the same form because you are soul mates?”

His father licked his hand then, so he laughed and said,

“I will take that as a yes. The lion is a cool animagus, but really father? They symbol of Gryffindor?”

The Dark Lord growled in warning, but that only made Vasilis laugh harder.

“I suppose it is fitting. The future rulers of Britain are lions, and lions represent royalty.”

He scratched behind his father’s ear then and grinned as the lion rolled over onto his side.

Vasilis relaxed in comfortable silence with his parents for a long while, enjoying the fact that he was finally spending time with both of them. Neither of his parents had left his side for very long since they had come home from Malfoy Manor a few days earlier. It was almost as if they were afraid he would disappear at any moment. Vasilis didn’t mind their protectiveness; in fact, he enjoyed it. After everything that had happened with Dumbledore… he enjoyed feeling safe with them. He knew that his parents would go to the ends of the Earth for him, and he would do the same for them.

Vasilis moved to nestle between the two lions, and sighed contently as he closed his eyes. He felt his mother lay her head on his shoulder, and he smiled as he drifted off to sleep.

 

* * *

 

**April 29th 1992, Slytherin Castle Library**

 

Vasilis looked up from his book as Warpy popped into the Library near where he was sitting with his parents. The elf looked down at its feet as it said,

“Lord Master sir, guests be in the floo wanting to see Master Prince sir.”

The Dark Lord looked up from his own book and asked,

“Who is it?”

“Lord Lestrange and Heir Malfoy, Lord Master sir.”

Voldemort closed his eyes for a moment then, and Vasilis felt a shift in the wards around Slytherin Castle. When his father opened his eyes again he said,

“Tell them they may come through.”

Warpy popped away instantly. Vasilis looked to his mother then and asked,

“Mother, Lord Lestrange as in Rodolphus? My godfather?”

She nodded and replied,

“Yes, your godfather. He has very much been looking forward to meeting you. He visited you often while you were still in your magical coma.”

“He did?”

“Yes. Him and Severus do not yet have children, so they view both you and Draco as their sons. When you were first born, Rodolphus had been very excited to be your godfather and it was nearly impossible to separate him from you.”

Before Vasilis could comment, he saw Draco run into the library in a manner very unfitting for the heir of a very powerful family. He laughed as Draco ran up to him, and threw himself down in the chair right next to him.

“Thank merlin Vasilis. I thought your Father was never going to allow me to see you again!”

Draco looked sheepishly over to his uncle then and said,

“I am sorry Uncle Marvolo. I shouldn’t have said that. I have just missed Vasilis…”

The Dark Lord just continued reading his book and murmured,

“It is fine Draco.”

Suddenly Vasilis heard another person walk into the library, and he turned to look at the dark haired, rugged looking man as he said,

“You better be careful Draco. If your father sees you run like that he will take away your hair products for a whole month as a punishment.”

The horrified look on Draco’s face was more than enough to make Vasilis laugh until his sides hurt. He was bent over his chair laughing when Draco sent him a glare and and asked,

“What is so funny about that Vasilis?! You know I need my hair products!”

Vasilis wiped tears from his eyes as he drawled sarcastically,

“Of course Draco, please forgive me. How will you ever uphold the Malfoy name without your hair products.”

His comment even made the Dark Lord and Lady laugh quietly. Rodolphus sat down in the open chair to his father’s left with a wide grin on his face. The man looked to the Dark Lady and asked,

“Can you tell he is Lucius’ son?”

Bellatrix sighed and nodded,

“Yes. Lucius always did spend more time on his appearance than Narcissa did.”

Draco threw his hands up in the hair and exclaimed,

“Oh not you too Aunt Bella! I hear enough from Uncle Rodolphus at home…”

The Malfoy heir crossed his arms over his chest, and leaned back in his chair with a petulant look on his face, making everyone laugh again. Vasilis decided they couldn’t wound the boy’s pride too much, so he said,

“Oh come now Draco. Everyone knows your hair always looks excellent. There is no need to get offended.”

This seemed to appease his second in command, because he looked slightly less petulant than before. Vasilis looked towards Rodolphus when he heard him speak,

“How are you feeling My Prince?”

He shook his head and replied,

“You don’t have to call me that Uncle Rodolphus. You are my godfather. I am feeling much better now, thank you. How are you feeling?”

Rodolphus glanced down towards his cane as he said,

“Well I am much better now that I am free of Azkaban, and it is excellent to finally be seeing my family again. You have grown so much. Have you ever been told that you look exactly like your father?”

Both Vasilis and the Dark Lord replied simultaneously,

“All the time.”

The inseparable pair smirked at one another, and Rodolphus laughed,

“Bella he even speaks and carries himself the way your husband does. How will you possibly be able to handle two of them?”

His mother sighed dramatically and shrugged,

“Merlin only knows. I can barely handle my husband on his own.”

The Dark Lord stood from his chair, and walked directly over to her before placing a firm kiss on her lips. He smirked as he said,

“You wouldn’t know what to do without me Darling.”

The Dark Lady laughed and rolled her eyes a little as his father turned and walked towards a desk on the side of the room. He pulled out a file, and walked back over to the group. As he was sitting back down, he handed Rodolphus the file and said,

“Rodolphus, I promised you that since you are no longer able to fight for the Dark Order in battle, that I would give you a new position, so here it is. As you already know, my son has founded a new school, which is set to open this September. I would like for you to teach the Offensive and Defensive Magic class. Severus will be working in the school as well, teaching potions. You will also get to interact with your godson on a regular basis if you accept the position.”

Rodolphus smiled, and didn’t hesitate to reply,

“I accept My Lord. This is more than I had dared to hope for. However, won’t there be issues with the fact that I am an escaped prisoner?”

Vasilis’ father shook his head,

“No, you are not considered a criminal in Italy. As long as the ministry is unaware when you return to Britain for holidays, there should not be any issues with your freedom. Now… you must sign that contract and give it to Lucius when you return to Malfoy Manor. Lucius has hired a team of skilled lawyers for the school, and they will take care of everything.”

Rodolphus smiled again and bowed slightly,

“Thank you My Lord. You are most generous.”

Voldemort waved him off,

“You fought well for many years, and you never renounced your loyalty to me. You have earned this. I reward those who have earned it.”

Vasilis’ godfather nodded in acceptance, before looking over to him and asking,

“Will you tell me more about this school you have founded at age eleven?”

The Dark Prince smiled with an excited glint in his eye, and spent the next two hours going over details for his beloved Academy with his godfather.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas for future chapters!


	3. Symbol Of A New World

**May 4th 1992, Slytherin Castle, Dark Lord’s Private Office**

 

Vasilis sprinted into his father’s office with excitement running through his veins,

“Father you have to see this! I finished crafting my first spell! It took me months to complete it…”

The Dark Lord looked up from his work, and set down his quill before saying,

“Congratulations, what is the spell?”

“It is a concealment spell, to help you hide from your enemies. Just watch this.”

Vasilis pointed his yew wand towards his chest and murmured,

_“Pellis Umbra.”_

Slowly, his body faded from view, turning him into a translucent shadow. Vasilis backed up into a darker corner of his father’s office, disappearing from view completely. The spell allowed him to blend into the shadows, which made the spell perfect for hiding and spying.

Voldemort chuckled, and clapped his hands slowly,

“Excellent work my son. This is a very advanced spell for being the first one you have ever crafted. Come here, I want to see what you look like up close.”

The young prince was smiling happily after receiving his father’s approval, not that the man could see it. He walked up to stand beside the Dark Lord’s desk and waited for him to finish observing his shadow appearance. His father smiled again and nodded as he said,

“Yes this could be very useful. It is almost as if the shadows are bleeding off of you. Where did you get this idea?”

Vasilis pointed his wand towards his chest again and murmured the counter spell,

_“Finis Umbra.”_

The shadows disappeared from his body, and he slipped his wand back into its holster before saying,

“Well… I noticed that there weren’t many spells for concealment besides the _disillusionment_ charm, and since some people are capable of seeing through that spell, I wanted to have another option.”

“Yes that is excellent idea. I might end up using that spell myself in the future. Now… speaking of spell casting. Lucius has scheduled your O.W.L.S May 11th, a week from today. Are you prepared?”

Vasilis nodded,

“Yes Father I am prepared. Although, I would like to practice dueling several times this week. I believe I will receive all O’s.”

The Dark Lord smirked slightly as he replied,

“Good. I expect nothing less than perfect from my only son. Which subjects are you taking your O.W.L.S in?”

Vasilis thought quietly for a few moments before saying,

“I would like to take my O.W.L.S in potions, transfiguration, charms, arithmancy, ancient runes, astronomy, defence against the dark arts, history of magic, herbology, warding, dueling, spell crafting, care of magical creatures, and politics.”

His father raised an eyebrow,

“Hmmm… we may have to divide the tests over several days. I didn’t know you studied magical creatures? You also need to craft two more spells before the spell crafting test in order to pass with an O?”

“I have two more spells in progress right now. I have almost finished them. As for magical creatures, I read a lot about the subject in order to pass my O.W.L.S and N.E.W.T.S I wanted to be knowledgeable in every subject, like you.”

The Dark Lord gave him a very proud look then,

“You are going to do great things someday my son.”

Vasilis smiled at him and asked,

“Thank you. Will you duel with me for an hour or so? I need to practice for my O.W.L.S?”

“Yes of course, but first, we need to have a conversation. Have a seat.”

Vasilis sat down in the chair across from his father's desk nervously,

“What's wrong?”

The Dark Lord leaned back in his chair as he replied,

“Afrer.... after you nearly died, I began making plans to kill Dumbledore. However, I quickly realized that killing him immediately would only make him a martyr for the Light. I have come to the conclusion that if we are to win this war, we must ruin Dumbledore's reputation first, and I believe you are more than capable of taking on that task.”

Vasilis’ eyes widened in surprise,

“You want me to do it? How?”

His father handed him the Daily Prophet edition with Rita’s article on the Academy.

“You already damaged his reputation by calling Hogwarts insufficient. I believe you can expand on that. Strip away the fake image he portrays to the public using Rita Skeeter. You seem to have her strictly under your control, so I believe you should continue to use her.”

“I know nothing about Dumbledore besides the fact that he is a powerful wizard who defeated Grindelwald, and has control over Wizarding Britain? What could I use against him?”

Voldemort paused for a moment before continuing,

“When I was a boy attending Hogwarts, Dumbledore was not yet Headmaster, but it was obvious to everyone that he was one of the most powerful wizards in the world. After all, he did work with Nicholas Flamel, and became a master of many subjects. When Grindelwald began moving his forces closer to Britain, the magical world called to Dumbledore, begging him to do something to stop the chaos. Yet, he did nothing. He waited until the last possible second to duel Grindelwald. I remember thinking at the time that it was strange. Dumbledore constantly lectured about taking the moral high road, and yet he did nothing to help save his own people. The man isn’t one to shy away from a fight, so I began asking myself what other reason he would have for waiting that long. Now… this is just a theory of mine, and I have no evidence to support this. I believe he knew Grindelwald personally. It would explain why he was hesitant to fight him, and it would also explain why he insisted on giving him a life sentence in prison instead of killing him.”

“Wait… you think Dumbledore, the Light Lord, knew Grindelwald? One of the most dangerous Dark Lord’s to ever live? Well besides you of course…”

His father smirked hearing his last comment and nodded,

“Yes I do. It is the only explanation that makes sense in my mind. Many others thought he was just being cowardly, but I have never once known him to back away from a challenge or fight. During the first war I battled Dumbledore many times, and not once did he run, even when he knew I had the upper hand. There were times when I would almost fatally injure him during a duel, and he would still continue fighting with his injuries.”

“I have never once known you to be wrong about anything, so I think you are right. Although, I will have to find proof if the public is going to believe that theory. Perhaps I could send Rita on a chase. She has always been good at digging up information.”

The Dark Lord nodded once again and replied,

“Yes I believe that would be wise. You are not allowed to do any searching yourself. You must send other people to do it for you. Your mother and I will not be allowing you to leave our presence anytime soon. Not after what happened.”

Vasilis gave him an understanding smile,

“Yes Father. I promise I won’t be the one searching, and I will have other people do it for me.”

“Good, now let's go prepare you for your dueling O.W.L.S, are you able to cast spells with your new arm?”

He glanced down at the golden arm his father had crafted, and smiled,

“I can cast spells with it. Sometimes it takes a little more effort, but I have been adjusting to it.”

Voldemort looked relieved hearing that statement, and gestured for Vasilis to follow him down to the dueling chambers.

 

* * *

 

**May 11th 1992, Slytherin Castle Entrance Hall**

 

“Are you ready for your O.W.L.S darling?”

Vasilis sent his mother a smile as he replied,

“Yes mother. Father has been helping me practice all week. I believe I will score all O’s.”

She returned his smile, and replied,

“Good. Now Lucius has hired the examiners to come to Malfoy Manor for the next several days in order for you to take your tests in a safe setting. Your Father and I do not trust you to go to the Ministry without us, and since it is not possible for us to go in public, Malfoy Manor was the next best option. Dumbledore has many allies in the Ministry so it was too risky to send you there, and we do not trust anyone else to protect you. Lucius has also paid them extra to give you your results immediately after the tests since you are the only one taking them at this time.”

“I understand mother. I do not mind taking my O.W.L.S at Malfoy Manor. Both you and Father are coming with?”

She nodded,

“Yes. We want to be near you just incase one of the examiners turns out to be one of Dumbledore’s followers. Your father will be disillusioned in the room with you during all of your exams.”

“Okay, where is he?”

“He should be here in a few moments.”

Vasilis nodded, and looked around the entrance hall of Slytherin Castle while they waited. He wasn’t the least bit nervous for his O.W.L.S He had spent far too much preparing to receive anything less than all O’s.

It was several minutes later when the Dark Lord finally entered the hall to join them.

“Are you ready Vasilis?”

“Yes Father.”

“Good. Let's go.”

His mother took his father’s arm, and together they all walked to the apparition point outside of the castle. Vasilis took his father’s other arm as they reached the point, and the Dark Lord apparated all of them to Malfoy Manor. He released the man’s arm when they appeared outside of Malfoy Manor, and followed his parents into the entrance hall.

As they walked through the large doors of the manor, his mother stopped walking and pulled him into a hug.

“I am going to spend time with my sister while you take your exams. Good luck. I am sure you will impress the examiners.”

Vasilis hugged her back and smiled,

“Thank you mother. Have a good day.”

She kissed his cheek, before giving his father a light kiss and walking down a corridor. The Dark Lord placed a hand on his shoulder then, and lead them both down the corridor in the opposite direction. They stopped outside of the doors to the dueling chamber, and his father said,

“I will disillusion myself before we go in so they do not know I am here. You will do excellent work my son. I am sure of it. Good luck.”

Vasilis smiled and nodded,

“Thank you Father, I promise I will make you proud.”

Voldemort returned his smile,

“I have never doubted you for a second.”

His father cast the spell on himself, and Vasilis opened the dueling chamber doors. He walked in gracefully, and immediately noticed four examiners standing near the far wall. The first was a middle aged woman with blond hair and blue eyes. The second was a rather short, older man with brown eyes and light brown hair. The third was a thin, black haired man who was so pale he looked as if he had never once been outside. The final examiner was a short, balding man who looked like he would rather be anywhere but here.

He approached them, and the woman stepped forward while saying,

“Hello Mr. Slytherin. My name is Mrs. Brown, and I will be your charms examiner today.”

She gestured to her fellow examiners and continued,

“To my left here is Mr. Brooks, and he will be giving you your history of magic exam. Then we have Mr. Lawrence, who will be testing you on dueling, and finally Mr. Hayes who will be your potions examiner. We will begin with your potions exam, then charms, history of magic, and dueling. You will take your written exams first, and them your practical exams in each subject except for history of magic. Do you have any questions?”

Vasilis smiled slightly and shook his head before replying,

“No Mrs. Brown. I understand.”

“Good, then if you would please follow me over here, we will begin your charms exam. There are 100 questions, and you have two and a half to complete the test.”

Vasilis just nodded and sat down to begin the exam. He nearly laughed out loud as he read through several of the questions. This exam wasn’t going to take him anywhere near two and a half hours to complete. He dipped his quill in ink, and began answering each question quickly, never once struggling to find the correct answer.

It was only an hour and 15 minutes later when he set down his quill and looked over to the examiners who were sitting at a table not far away.

“Mrs. Brown.”

She gave him a slight glare and said,

“No speaking during the exam.”

Vasilis returned her glare and raised an eyebrow as he replied,

“I have finished the exam.”

She frowned with disbelief written on her face,

“Impossible. No one in over 50 years has completed their exam that quickly. Unless you skipped questions because you did not know the answers... “

Vasilis scoffed,

“I can assure you I knew every answer on the exam. It was hardly difficult.”

She walked over to him then, still looking very skeptical, and picked up his test. She read through the first two pages with a frown on her face before nodding.

“Very well. Onto your practical exam then.”

She placed a tea cup on his desk before saying,

“Take out your wand and charm this tea cup do cartwheels.”

Vasilis hid a smirk, and flicked his wrist, making his wand enter his hand smoothly. He pointed the wand at the cup, and nonverbally cast the charm. She seemed very shocked by this display, but did not comment on it.

“Now levitate the cup.”

The Dark Prince once again cast the charm nonverbally, making the cup rise to the ceiling slowly, perfectly under his control. Once it was firmly back on his desk, she asked him to make it change colors, which he easily did. Finally, she said,

“This will be the last portion of your practical exam, and the most difficult. I would like you to expand the cup to twice its current size.”

He did scoff that time, unable to help himself. This exam was far too easy. He pointed his wand at the cup and made it expand to twice its current size. Mrs. Brown just shook her head in amazement,

“I have to admit, I am very impressed. I am going to hand you over to Mr. Brooks now for your history of magic O.W.L.”

She removed the cup and exam from his desk as Mr Brooks approached him. Once again an exam was placed in front of him with instructions to finish within two and a half hours, and once again he finished well before time was called. Mr. Brooks looked less surprised than Mrs. Brown did after the charms exam, and he said nothing as he gathered Vasilis’ test.

Immediately after the history exam, the black haired man, Mr. Lawrence stepped onto the dueling platform, and motioned for Vasilis to follow. The man had a curious glint in his eye as he asked,

“Do you understand the laws of dueling Mr. Slytherin?”

Vasilis nodded, and the man continued,

“Good. Now for this exam, we are going to duel. Show me what you are capable of.”

The Dark Prince was rather surprised when he didn’t explain the test anymore than that, but he didn’t question it as he stood in his offensive dueling stance.

Mr. Lawrence regarded him curiously before casting a simple _Stupefy._ Vasilis cast a nonverbal shield, before sending back an _Everte Statum._ The duel started off slow as they began to understand each other's dueling styles, and gradually began to heat up over time.

Vasilis conjured a snake, and duplicated it several times before banishing them towards Lawrence. The man smirked as he set each snake on fire, killing them instantly, and sending them back towards him. Vasilis used an altered version of the _Aguamenti_ spell to create a wall of water between them, knowing he couldn’t reveal his Elemental abilities without getting arrested. The water extinguished the fire, and stopped the snakes in their tracks. He then sent the wall of water straight towards Lawrence, who used a simple shield spell to deflect his attempt.  

Vasilis dodged several offensive spells before sending back his own towards Mr. Lawrence. The man dodged each one easily, but Vasilis was determined to beat him. He had not spent all that time practicing dueling with his father for nothing, and he knew his father was watching him now.

The Dark Prince had noticed during the past few volleys of spells that whenever he cast a _Stupefy,_ Lawrence would use a shield spell to block it instead of dodging it, so Vasilis decided to try and use this to his advantage. He cast several spells in quick succession like he had the last few volleys, and greatly overpowered the _Stupefy_ he sent last,

_“Reducto. Avis. Bombarda. Stupefy.”_

Just like he suspected, Lawrence dodged the first few spells, and put up a shield charm to dissolve the last spell. Lawrence had obviously gotten used to the amount of power Vasilis had been putting into each of his spells, so he had adjusted the amount of power in his shield spells to match Vasilis’ power. When the overpowered _Stupefy_ struck the man’s shield, it broke through immediately and sent him flying backwards unconscious.

Vasilis smirked as he looked towards the other examiners, who were staring at him in shock. He just looked away from them and walked towards the unconscious man on the floor. He woke him with the counter spell, and stepped away from him cautiously. Lawrence groaned as he sat up, and stared at Vasilis with an unreadable expression. Eventually he stood and dusted off his robes as he said,

“Automatic O Mr. Slytherin. Excellent work. I have never met a student your age with your capabilities, and I look forward to seeing what you do with your skills in the future.”

Now it was Vasilis’ turn to stare at the man in shock. He had not been expecting that response.

“Thank you, Mr. Lawrence. It was a pleasure to participate in a duel with you.”

“Yes. It was very interesting. Now, I believe it is time for your last exam. Mr. Hayes, he is all yours.”

Lawrence went and stood near the other examiners, while Mr. Hayes, who now looked much less bored than before, approached the desk where he had taken the first two written exams. Vasilis followed him, and sat down to take his potions written exam. Once again, the exam only took him half the time, and he finished brewing his calming draught in record time using several tips Severus had given him during their private lessons.

By the time he was finished with all exams, his examiners had finished grading all of his work. They approached hi together, and Mrs. Brown stated,

“Mr. Slytherin, I must admit, we are all extraordinarily impressed with your work today, and we expect great things from you some day. Congratulations, you have achieved all O’s on your first four exams. Tomorrow you will take your transfiguration, herbology, arithmancy, care of magical creatures, and politics exams. Then, on the 13th, you shall finish your O.W.L.S by taking your ancient runes, warding, spell crafting, and defense against the dark arts exams. New examiners will be here each day to give you your tests.”

Vasilis nodded and kept his face blank,

“Thank you all for coming here today. It is much appreciated by the Malfoys and myself.”

The examiners all sent him one last good luck, before leaving the dueling chambers, and the manor all together. Once they were gone, his father cancelled his disillusionment charm, and stepped away from the wall where he had been waiting. Vasilis approached him and hugged him with a smile on his face. He listened as the Dark Lord said,

“Congratulations Vasilis. You did very well today, and that duel was excellent. I am sure you will continue doing well on the rest of your exams.”

“Thank you Father. I will continue trying to make you proud.”

“I know you will my son. I know you will.”

True to his word, Vasilis performed flawlessly on the rest of his O.W.L.S over the next few days, receiving all O’s on all 14 of his exams. He was the first person in Britain's history to achieve such high marks, on so many exams at his age. The Ministry was so impressed with his skills, that they even asked for his permission to have the Daily Prophet write an article on the subject. Vasilis immediately agreed, knowing how much it would piss off Dumbledore to see that he was still thriving despite what was done to him. It would also put a dent in Dumbledore’s reputation if the world knew just how much of a genius the young founder of The Imperial Academy Of Magic actually was. It would make more people question if they should send their children to Hogwarts for school in September.

Both of his parents had been extraordinarily proud of his work, and had gifted him with several rare, and very expensive books on warding and spell crafting because of his success. Vasilis had nearly been overwhelmed by their praise. All he had ever wanted was to make them proud.

It was now the 18th of May, and Vasilis was sitting comfortably in the wingback chair in his father’s office, reading, with his mother sitting in the other chair next to him. Voldemort was sitting at his desk signing paperwork, approving his followers positions in the ministry for the coming war.

They all looked up when they heard an insistent tapping on the window, and noticed a dark brown owl, holding today’s edition of the Daily Prophet. His father stood from his desk, and opened the window, allowing the owl to enter his office. The Dark Lord read the front page of the prophet with a smirk on his face. He passed it over to Vasilis without a word, allowing him to read Rita’s article for himself.

 

_**Prodigy Breaks Ministry O.W.L. Record** _

_Vasilis Slytherin has once again caught the attention of the public by breaking a Ministry record. At age eleven Mr. Slytherin has received all O’s on fourteen different exams, making him the first ever student to do so. The ministry reported to us several days ago stating that Mr. Slytherin took his O.W.L.S in the following subjects: Potions, transfiguration, charms, defence against the dark arts, herbology, astronomy, care of magical creatures, ancient runes, arithmancy, warding, dueling, spell crafting, and politics. The examiners all stated that Mr. Slytherin gave an exemplary performance during all of his exams. It was even noted that he was able to defeat his examiner, Blake Lawrence, in a duel during his practical. Mr. Lawrence was more than willing to speak with the Daily Prophet about Mr. Slytherin:_

_**“Mr. Slytherin impressed us all with his knowledge and skills. It was a pleasure to watch him work. I have never before met a child his age that was able to duel so well. It took me completely by surprise. I am not ashamed to admit that I lost a duel to an eleven year old, because I believe we will be seeing great things from the young man some day. He has already done the impossible by founding his own magical institution, and I can’t help but wonder what we shall see of him in the future.”**   _

_Mr. Lawrence wasn’t the only examiner impressed with the young man’s skills. Sophia Williams, master of spell crafting, acted as his examiner for the subject during his practical. Mrs. Williams was also willing to meet with us to discuss Mr. Slytherin’s abilities:_

_**“He was unlike any young man I have ever met, and the spells he created for the exam were extraordinary. The time, and skills necessary to craft such complicated spells, especially at such a young age is difficult to comprehend. It was truly an honor to see his creations first hand.”** _

_Mr. Slytherin, despite his terrible childhood has continued to impress us all with his knowledge and skills. He has shown us that one’s childhood does not determine a person’s success in life, and he is an inspiration to us all. Perhaps Mr. Slytherin is exactly what our great country needs, and it will be interesting to see how he uses his intelligence in the future. Will he become a headmaster of his own school, will he become a scholar, or will he perhaps run for Minister for Magic? Only time will tell._

 

Vasilis smiled broadly, and handed the article to his mother. She read in silence, before a proud smile came across her face, similar to the one his father was wearing. The Dark Lord looked amused as he said,

“This Rita Skeeter sure knows how to sway the public, doesn’t she? She hinted at the possibility of you being a ruler of this country some day, and that type of thinking is exactly what we need. We want the public to be receptive of you, because once the war starts, people will begin to rally behind us, increasing our chances of success if they like you.”

Vasilis smirked, and added,

“Plus… this will also piss Dumbledore off, a lot.”

His mother gave him a serious look as she said,

“Language, Vasilis. Princes do not swear.”

He gave her an innocent smile and replied,

“I am sorry Mother. It won’t happen again.”

She just chuckled and shook her head, knowing it probably wouldn’t be the last time she heard him swear.

 

* * *

 

**May 23rd 1992, Slytherin Castle Entrance Hall**

 

“Are you ready to see the Academy in person for the first time Mother?”

She gave him a fond smile, and pulled him into a hug,

“Of course I am darling. Both you and your father haven’t stopped talking about it since I was first rescued from Azkaban. I am sure it is magnificent.”

Larknas had written to Vasilis several days earlier explaining that he had finished the renovations earlier than expected due to outside help from foreign goblin communities.Today they were finally going to see the completed structure. To say he was excited was an understatement. He had spent an absurd amount of money renovating this school, and now he was going to see if it had all been worth it.

He was waiting in the entrance hall of Slytherin castle with his parents for several other guests to join them. Rodolphus, Severus, Cygnus, Druella, and Rabastan would all be joining them on this tour. It had been decided that Severus, Rodolphus, and Rabastan would all act as professors for the new school, and Cygnus would be the first headmaster given his experience in politics and administration. His grandmother would also be living within the castle, after deciding she felt no desire to be separated from Vasilis’ grandfather.

It wasn’t long before they all walked through the main doors of Slytherin Castle, with excitement glinting in their eyes. This was their first big step towards weakening Dumbledore, and they couldn’t wait for the school to open.

His grandfather and grandmother greeted Vasilis’ mother with tears running down their faces. His mother had always been extremely close with her parents he knew, so he was happy she was finally able to see them again.

Once tears were finished being shed, the Dark Lord held out a portkey, which they all took without hesitation. Vasilis suffered through the gut wrenching spinning sensation of the long distance travel, and only opened his eyes when he felt they had landed.

Each one of them gasped as they took in the sight before them. Unlike last time, they had appeared in the castle’s courtyard, directly next to the main doors, giving them a perfect view of the castle up close. The castle appeared to be just as large and magnificent as before, and seemed to almost glow with magic compared to the magic it radiated during their last visit. It was almost as if the castle was happy with the changes that had been made, and was excited to become a magical school. Vasilis sensed that the castle was sentient, like Hogwarts and Slytherin Castle, and the fact that the castle approved of the Academy made him smile.

Everyone spent the next several minutes looking at all of the new details.

Large white flags containing the Academy crest had been placed on each of the castle’s towers, and were flowing elegantly in the wind. The courtyard now contained a light colored stone fountain in the center, with water flowing gently out of it, giving the area a peaceful atmosphere. The steps leading to the castle’s main doors were lined with black stone dire wolves, with glittering, golden eyes. The doors themselves had been replaced completely, with newer, rich dark wood, and were now engraved with a very large version of the Academy’s crest.

His grandfather looked to him with awe in his eyes and said,

“Vasilis, this is truly breathtaking.”

He gave his grandfather a smile,

“Thank you. I believe this school is going to attract students from all around the world.”

His father wrapped an arm around his mother’s waist, and she leaned into him slightly as she admitted,

“I knew this place would be impressive, but this is far beyond what I had ever imagined. This is beautiful Vasilis.”

He smiled again, and walked over to his parents who then pulled him into a hug. They looked at him with pride in their expressions, making him grin happily.

Their interactions were interrupted however, when Larknas exited the castle through the massive doors and approached them.

“My Lord, My Lady, My Prince, it is an honor to see all of you here. I hope the exterior of the castle is to your liking?”

Vasilis nodded,

“Yes, it is exactly what I had imagined Larknas.”

“Good. Although, very few changes were made to the exterior of the castle. We believed that the current style suited the institution you wished to establish, so most of your money was spent renovating the interior. Please, if you would follow me we can begin the tour. There is much to see.”

They followed Larknas into through the main doors, and were in awe of the grand entrance hall before them. It had quite obviously been expanded from the last time they had visited, and the windows had been enlarged to allow in more light. Twenty four banners with the Academy crests were lining the walls, twelve on each side of the hall, and one between each window. Another crest had been engraved into the floor at the very center of the room, and unlike the others this one was gold, making it stand out above the rest.

The main focus of the hall however, was not the golden crest. The main focus were the two immense black dire wolf statues standing guard on either side of the doors leading into the castle’s corridors. They must have been over thirty feet tall, and contained watchful golden eyes, much like the dire wolves lining the steps outside of the castle. As they approached the two statues Larknas explained,

“All of the wolves you see are enchanted to come to life if the castle were to ever be in danger. They are meant to protect the castle and everyone inside, and trust me when I say that nothing will escape them alive. They are extremely quick and deadly. They make the perfect guardians of the Imperial Academy.”

Vasilis nodded, and watched as his father admired the statues appreciatively. He could tell that the man was glad there were additional protections in place if the castle were ever attached by Dumbledore, which he doubted would ever happen. Dumbledore was desperate, but not desperate enough to destroy the new school the public is so excited about.

They followed Larknas down one of the corridors, before coming to the large doors of the Great Hall. Everyone gasped as the doors magically opened to admit them. This room had changed greatly since the last time they had seen it. The tables were set up identically to the way the tables were arranged in the Hogwarts Great Hall, except instead of having wooden tables, they had intricately designed white marble tables. The tables also each had a table cloth, running down the center. The table on the far left contained a blue and silver cloth, the next table over had a white and gold table cloth, the third table in had a red and black table cloth, and finally, the far right table was covered with a forest green and bronze cloth. The head table, was made of black marble, instead of white, and was covered in a white cloth, making it stand out above the others.

The walls of the room were also lined with banners, much like the entrance hall. Although instead of having the normal white banners, these banners were designed after each house. There were eight banners in total, two for each house, and one on each side of the hall. The banners closest to the doors were designed for Silvermoon House, the next banners were Arrowedge banners, then Fireclaw, and Raventhorn.

What made this Great Hall stand out above Hogwarts was not the banners, or the marble tables. What made it stand out, was the fact that the entire wall behind the head table was a waterfall, with slowly moving water seemingly disappearing into the floor where it fell. Behind the waterfall, engraved into the wall was the Academy crest, created out of glowing white light. It was a very unique and impressive design, and Vasilis appreciated it greatly.

Larknas continued the tour by showing them various classrooms, and professors quarters, before he stopped near a wall containing an intricate carving of two ancient yew trees engraved into the stone. The goblin turned to face their group and explained,

“This is the entrance to the Raventhorn dorms. The trees are spelled to move apart once given the password, which right now is simply just ‘Raventhorn’. All passwords are easy to change at a later time when you wish to do so.”

The all nodded, and waited as Larknas muttered the password and watched the trees move apart from one another, creating a rounded hole in the wall.

After they had all walked through, Vasilis couldn’t help but laugh as he said,

“Wow, my followers going to love this.”

The wall opposite to them faced the outside, and contained large windows to allow plenty of natural light, and gave them a perfect view of the forest located not far from the castle. All of the walls not facing the outside, had been charmed to look like the forest, and it almost made it feel as if they weren’t actually within a castle at the moment.

Overall, the Raventhorn common room was very comfortable, with its dark wooden floors, brown leather couches, and warm fireplaces. The room also contained many bronze sculptures of famous scholars, such as Nicholas Flamel.

They stopped in the center of the room and listened as Larknas explained,

“My Prince, you asked me to design each common room to fit the traits of each house, and that is what I have done. Each common room is tailored to the house traits, and I have an example of that here. Please follow me.”

The goblin lead them to the far left side of the room where a set of dark wooden doors were located in the center of the charmed forest. He opened them with a flourish, leading them into a mid sized private library for the Raventhorns to use. Vasilis chuckled quietly and stated,

“Oh yes, they will definitely enjoy this. You have done excellent work so far Larknas.”

The goblin nodded in thanks, and suggested,

“Shall we move onto the next part of the tour? The Silvermoon dorms are not far from here, and I believe you will find them to be enjoyable.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, and followed Larknas out of the Raventhorn dorms, and through several corridors before they came to a painting of a moon.

“This painting is the entrance to the common room, once again, the password is just the house name.”

The goblin murmured ‘Silvermoon, and they watched as the painting swung open slowly. Vasilis laughed excitedly as they walked through an aquarium tunnel about ten feet long. There were many rare species of magical creatures swimming contently in the water as they walked by, and Vasilis quickly decided this was the most interesting common room he had ever seen.

As they exited the tunnel, Vasilis quickly realized the aquarium didn’t just resort to the tunnel. The aquarium expanded along the whole wall of the common room, making the common room glow with calming blue light.

Vasilis observed the rest of the room carefully, noting the silver floors that glinted in the light, the blue furniture, and warm fireplaces.

His father placed his hand on his shoulder suddenly, and motioned for him to look up. The Dark Prince did so immediately and gasped. The high ceiling had been charmed much like the Hogwarts Great Hall, and gave them a spectacular view of a night sky, with glittering stars and a bright full moon.

It was stunning.

This common room was much darker than the Raventhorn common room, but it didn’t matter. The amount of light was perfect for the setting, and the glowing light from the night sky and the aquarium was more than enough.

Vasilis looked to Larknas suddenly when he heard him speak,

“The ceiling is charmed to always show the night sky, so it will always be darker in here.”

Everyone nodded, and his father approached the aquarium as he asked,

“Where did you acquire some of these marine species? Many of these are extremely rare.”

“The goblins have many contacts around the world, and your son had the money to pay for the expenses. He wanted a grand, and powerful school, so I did whatever necessary to give him that image.”

The Dark Lord, nodded, seemingly satisfied with that reply, and they left the common room to continue with the tour.

Larknas showed them several study areas, and dueling chambers before they came to their next stop, the Fireclaw common room.

The entrance to the Fireclaw tower was hidden behind a portrait of a wizarding battle scene from many centuries earlier, and standing on either side of the portrait were two ancient suits of armour. Larknas stated the password, before leading them up the winding staircase to the common room.

His mother and grandmother entered the room first, and gasped loudly. Vasilis and his father followed closely behind them, and had equally surprised expressions on their faces when they stepped onto the clear glass floor of the common room. There was fire dancing gracefully underneath the glass, and yet, when Vasilis bent down to touch it with his hand, the glass was cool. He found the fiery floor to be incredibly creative, and fitting for Fireclaw House.

The windows facing the west were very large, giving them a perfect view of the setting sun, and the walls of the common room were covered with tapestries depicting wizarding battles. There were also ancient weapons charmed to stick to the walls, black marble tables with flecks of red, and three large fireplaces facing each direction except for west due to the large windows.

Vasilis watched as Rodolphus and Rabastan looked around in awe, and heard his godfather murmur,

“This is phenomenal. The fire in the floor looks so real. This is the perfect common room for the House of Warriors.”

Larknas nodded in agreement, and pointed to a door on the right side of the room,

“That is not all. There is one more aspect of this common room I would like to show you.”

The goblin opened the doors to the unknown room, and lead them inside.

The Dark Prince grinned gleefully when realized it was a private dueling chamber, containing five dueling platforms. He knew without a doubt that Alecto would love this House.

After they had finished viewing the Fireclaw common room, Larknas showed them to the Arrowedge House common room located in the North Tower of the Academy.

Unlike the entrances to the other common rooms, this entrance wasn’t attempting to be hidden. Not in the slightest. Carved in stone above the open entry way were the words ‘Arrowedge House’, and standing on each side of the entry way were two golden dire wolves with white eyes.  Larknas gestured to the wolves and explained,

“No one can get into the common room without the password. The wolves will prevent them from doing so. Even if someone from another House does have the password, the wolves will only allow them to enter if they do not have any malicious intent regarding the members of Arrowedge House.”

Vasilis smirked hearing that. It was a rather inventive idea to prevent harm from coming to those in Arrowedge House.

They all walked up the steps to the common room after the wolves let them pass, and entered the grand space.

Vasilis smiled seeing the white fountain located at the very center of the room, with golden water flowing out of it. He loved that the North wall of the tower had been charmed to be completely clear, almost as if the wall wasn’t even there to begin with. The opening allowed you to have a fantastic view of the Alps which weren’t located too far from the castle. The floor was white marble, containing flecks of gold which glinted in the sun. There were many golden torches placed around the room, and three fireplaces, one in every direction except the north due to the charmed wall, similar to the fireclaw dorms.

Imposing tapestries of famous wizarding leaders, such as Merlin, and Salazar Slytherin filled the walls, as if they were meant to inspire you to take over the world. The atmosphere of the room just screamed power and sophistication, and the view was breathtaking. Vasilis knew from the moment he stepped into the room, that this was the House he was meant to be apart of.

He smiled at his parents, who seemed to know what he was thinking. His mother smiled warmly, and his father said,

“I have a feeling you will be in this House my son. This is the House of leaders, and you shall lead them all. Turn around and look at the tapestry behind you.”

Vasilis did as his father said, with a confused expression on his face, and gasped when he saw what his father was talking about. Right above the entrance to the common room was another tapestry, except this one was of the Dark Family. Within the tapestry, Vasilis was standing between his parents, and they each had a hand placed on his shoulder. All three of them had cold, and intimidating expressions on their faces, and gave off an air of power.

He turned back to face his father and asked,

“How did they have a tapestry made of us?”

Voldemort shook his head and replied truthfully,

“The goblins didn’t have that tapestry made, your mother and I did. You founded this school my son, and your face needs to appear somewhere. It is only right that it appears within the common room of your House. I figured you would appreciate it while you are attending school.”

Vasilis grinned, and wrapped his arms around his father's waist,

“Thank you.”

“You are welcome my child.”

He hugged his mother next, and she kissed the top of his head lightly before saying,

“This whole place is magnificent Vasilis. Hogwarts doesn’t even begin to compare. There are so many places for the students to practice every subject, and the common rooms are beautiful. The students will love it here, and I am glad you will be attending school here instead of Hogwarts.”

“Me too. I don’t want to ever go back there.”

Vasilis released his mother, and looked around at the proud faces of his family members. Even the normally grim Severus Snape looked a little excited to see what the future would hold for them.

This school was more than just an opportunity to strip away some of Dumbledore’s power, or learn more subjects. This Academy was a symbol for what the magical world could be in the future. It was an example that all types of magic could be practiced peacefully, and it was a symbol of protection. This school was an impenetrable fortress, and that was what the magical world needed to become in order to protect their way of life from the muggles.

If they could make the rest of the magical world follow in the Academy’s footsteps, their world would be a much better place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So everyone... what is your Imperial Academy House? I would love to know!
> 
>  
> 
> For those of you who don't remember what the values are, here you go! 
> 
> Silvermoon House- House of Vitality: Flexibility, Guidance, Creativity, Resilience
> 
> Arrowedge House- House of Leadership: Intelligence, Focus, Confidence, Patience
> 
> Raventhorn House- House of Wisdom: Logic, Knowledge, Openness, Exploration
> 
> Fireclaw House- House of Warriors: Strength, Discipline, Freedom, Self-reliance


	4. Crusade Chamber

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry that this chapter is shorter than the others, the next should be longer. I also wanted to point out that I am not having Regulus take Voldemort's Horrcrux in this book. I am just making it so that he was arrested just like many of the other Death Eaters after the first war.

**June 15th 1992, Slytherin Castle Crusade Chamber**

 

“Vasilis follow me, we have much to discuss.”

The young prince looked up from the book he was reading, towards his father who was standing in the doorway of his bedroom wearing elegant black robes. He nodded, and stood from his chair by the fire before following his father from the room.

They walked down the winding staircase, and through the long corridors of the castle, before entering the library. His father lead them to the very back corner of their massive library, and tapped the gray stone wall with his wand.

Vasilis watched curiously as the wall began to fade away into nothing.

“What is this father?”

“You will see soon enough.”

Voldemort lead him down a dark corridor, before turning left, and coming to a set of large wooden doors. His father pushed them open, and Vasilis’ eyes widened.

The doors lead into a massive room with a very large, oval shaped, mahogany conference table, easily big enough to fit 40 people comfortably. The chairs surrounding the table were intricately carved with magical creatures, such as dragons and hippogriffs. The two chairs located at the far ends of the table were taller than the rest, and center was carved to be a very large map of the world. The walls of the room were covered with hundreds of organized maps of different countries, and the far left wall of the room seemed to be dedicated to maps of England alone.

Vasilis stood near the doors as his father began walking slowly around the table, his black boots clicking on the white marble floor as he walked. The man stopped walking as he reached what Vasilis assumed was the Dark Lord’s place at the head of the table. His father brushed his fingers lightly over the top of his chair, carved with basilisks, and other rare species of magical snakes.

Voldemort’s crimson eyes met his own as he asked,

“Can you guess what this room is my son?”

Vasilis tipped his head a little and replied,

“A war room?”

His father nodded,

“Yes, we call it the Crusade Chamber. During the first war, we used Malfoy Manor as a base for all planning, and meetings. However, after the Ministry began conducting raids on pure blood manors, we had to move our base here since Slytherin Castle’s location was unknown. This was where almost every operation was planned and organized. In addition, once I had founded the International Dark Council, meetings were occasionally held here. Every council meeting is held in a different country, so our meetings cannot be traced by any world government. I am telling you all this, because I am calling a meeting tonight with my Inner Circle. Most of my followers rescued from Azkaban have fully recovered, and it is time to begin making concrete plans to overthrow the Ministry. You will be sitting beside me during the meeting.”

Vasilis swallowed hard before asking,

“Are you sure I am ready Father?”

“Of course I am. You are incredibly intelligent, and I believe you could have some insightful ideas. Besides that, you need to see how I handle my followers. You need to understand the inner workings of the Dark Order.”

He nodded, feeling somewhat nervous. He had met many of Voldemort’s followers before, but he had never met the entire Inner Circle before, not like this. He remembered his father’s lectures on confidence, and pushed all of his nervous feelings away. He was the Dark Prince, and he had a role to fill. He didn’t have time to feel nervous, so he hardened his face and replied,

“I understand Father. I won’t fail you.”

The Dark Lord sent him a proud look as he stated,

“You have never failed me before, and I doubt you ever will. This will be excellent experience for you. Your mother will be there as well, you have absolutely nothing to worry about."

His father paused before he continued a moment later,

"In a few weeks we will be traveling to Romania. You must begin studying the Vampires and their customs so you are prepared. We will also be having lessons later on to discuss people we will be meeting, and their social statuses."

Vasilis was a little surprised by this. He had known they were planning on traveling to Romania, but he had not known it would be so soon.

"I will be ready Father. I promise."

 

* * *

 

 

The Dark Prince was seated to the right of his father's chair in the crusade chamber, with his mother seated across from him. She sent him a reassuring look, instantly making him feel more relaxed.

Voldemort had not yet arrived, and this was intentional he knew. His father would always be the last one to arrive to Death Eater meetings. It was important for everyone in attendance to always know who was in incharge.

Vasilis looked around the table at the many faces of his father’s Inner Circle. Some of them he recognized, such as Severus, Rodolphus, Rabastan, Regulus, Barty, Lucius, and several others. However, most in attendance tonight he had never met. There was one young man who appeared to be in his early twenties, with dirty blond hair and brown eyes, sitting near the far end of the table. Vasilis had never seen this man before and decided he must be a new Inner Circle member. He narrowed his eyes as he noticed how the man’s hand twitching for his wand whenever he looked in Vasilis’ direction. That was very odd indeed.

The young prince leaned over to Rodolphus who was sitting on his right and asked in a whisper,

“Who is that younger man, the blond one, sitting near the end of the table?”

Rodolphus looked towards the end of the table, before leaning towards him and whispering,

“Elijah Hawkins, My Prince. He is a new member, and a very eager one at that. He admires your father greatly, and he wouldn’t hesitate to carry out any orders he is given.”

“That doesn’t explain why he is glaring at me like he wishes me dead.”

His godfather’s face hardened,

“Would you like me to do something about him?”

Vasilis shook his head in response,

“No, I have not yet earned my place here. They just see me as an arrogant little boy who happens to be the Dark Lord’s son. I cannot use my father’s name to gain respect here. Some of you already know what I am capable of, but most here do not.”

Rodolphus nearly growled,

“You are the Dark Prince. That should be more than enough.”

“No it's not. I have to prove myself. Otherwise I _am_ just the little boy using his father’s name to earn his position. I will never be respected that way, not truly. If there ever comes a time when we are in battle, and they are fighting under my orders, who is to say they would even obey me?”

His godfather still didn’t seem to like the idea, but he nodded anyways, knowing he wouldn’t win this debate.

Vasilis watched the man, until his father entered the room several minutes later, looking more intimidating than he had ever seen him as his dominating magic filled the room.

Voldemort was wearing an expensive crimson and silver high collared outer robe, a white dress shirt underneath, and black trousers. The crimson robes made his eyes glow dangerously, and his dragonhide boots echoed on the marble floor as he walked slowly to his place at the head of the table.

Everyone had stood from their seats the moment he walked in, and were waiting cautiously for him to speak. Vasilis hid a smirk as he watched his father continue walking very slowly, purposefully drawing out this moment to make the lower members of the Inner Circle feel nervous. He saw some of the newer members shifting slightly where they stood, and looked around at the other members. Hawkins however, never once took his eyes off of the Dark Lord, and was staring at him like he was seeing God for the first time.

Vasilis understood then.

Hawkins was jealous of him. The young man wanted to be in his position, which was why he hated the Dark Prince. Well that just couldn’t be allowed, the man would have to learn his place.

Eventually, Voldemort reached his seat at the head of the table, and sat down with grace only he could manage. The man looked over everyone with a cold expression on his face before he ordered,

“Sit.”

Vasilis sat down along with the others, and attempted to make himself look as regal as possible. These people needed to see him as their leader, not just a child who could be taken advantage of. After all… most members had been Slytherins at one point, and they would use any means to achieve their ends. What they did not know however, was that they were dealing with the Prince of Slytherin himself, and he was a cunning young man indeed. He was not going to allow those below him to take advantage of him, not even for a second.

They all looked to the Dark Lord as he began the meeting,

“This is the first official meeting of my Inner Circle since my return, and we have much to discuss. Before we truly begin, I must inform all of you that we have one year to finish preparations. That means you all have one year to win suitable positions in the Ministry. I need followers in every department, especially the auror division, since we will be dealing with them primarily once the war begins. I will need many spies among the aurors in order to properly determine their plans of attack against us in battle. I wish for there to be as little blood shed as possible in the coming war. Every drop spilled is a waste. Do what you must to gain positions, but do not get caught. The secrecy of our preparations is of the utmost importance, which means if you get caught, you will destroy my plans. If you are caught, you will be killed to prevent the Ministry from acquiring any information.”

Voldemort paused for a moment, ensuring they all understood the seriousness of his statement before he continued,

"Lucius… I know you already have strong influence over Fudge, and yet, it is not enough. Fudge has little power, and he listens to anyone with money and prestige to establish his own sense of worth. He is, however, still useful. As Minister, he meets with many international delegations to discuss world politics, as well as internal influential figures here in Britain. I would be willing to guarantee you are not the only one whispering orders in his ear Lucius, so we need someone closer. The Senior Undersecretary perhaps?”

Lucius spoke clearly as he replied,

“The current Senior Undersecretary to Fudge is Dolores Umbridge, and she is firmly under his thumb. She does whatever he tells her to do, and I do not believe she can be persuaded to spy for the Dark Order. There have even been rumours of an affair between them, although, I am not sure if these rumours are true. Perhaps we could eliminate her and have her replaced by someone under your control?”

The Dark Lord seemed to consider this for a moment before shaking his head,

“No that would not work, at least not yet. The next several people in line for the position are firmly on the Light side, and would not be swayed. Attempting to sway them could risk exposure to our plans.”

Vasilis stared at the map carved into the table in front of him, deep in thought. After a short while he looked to Voldemort and asked politely,

“If I may Father?”

The Dark Lord smirked and waved his hand casually,

“Of course my son, speak freely.”

The young prince raised an eyebrow and suggested,

“Perhaps we could create a new position under Fudge to use to our benefit. Maybe a position as an apprentice? He would never refuse the idea if it is someone influential enough. He would feel honored to have someone from one of the sacred twenty eight families under his tutelage, and he would most likely bring them with him everywhere with him in order to give them the best experience possible.  After all, Fudge would never want to disappoint a powerful member of society.”

His father stared at him for a long while with a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Yes, your idea holds merit Vasilis. Who do you have in mind for the position?”

Vasilis thought to himself for a moment. He would have suggested himself, but he knew his parents would never allow him to be out of their sight for that much time every day, especially unprotected at the Ministry where Dumbledore could show up at any time.

“Cygnus Avery could be his apprentice for the summer, until we attend the Academy in September. Surely you don’t want Fudge in office any longer than that Father? Cygnus is the Avery heir, and he is interested in politics. If I asked Fudge personally to allow it, he would never refuse. I hold 32 Wizengamot seats, and he could never deny a request from me. Not when I hold that much power within the Ministry.”

His father seemed rather amused, but he hid it well as he asked,

“What makes you think I do not want Fudge in office longer than September?”

“Fudge is a simpering idiot, and our movement would progress faster if he was replaced by someone else under your rule. Preferably Lucius.”

Voldemort nodded with a smirk on his face,

“Of course you are right my child, I was planning on removing him by September. Write letters to both Fudge and Cygnus after the meeting to inform them of this new arrangement.”

Vasilis nodded, and relaxed into his chair once more. He looked down towards the end of the table, and noticed Hawkins was positively fuming where he sat. This man was a ticking time bomb, and he wouldn’t allow it to continue any longer.

He looked the man in the eye as he said coldly,

“Elijah Hawkins, if you continue glaring at me like that I will dissolve your eyes right out of their sockets, do you understand?”

Everyone in the room looked towards the blond man curiously. Hawkins looked even more furious than before as he exclaimed,

“You are a child! Why are you even allowed in this meeting? You don’t even wear the Dark Mark!”

Vasilis felt his father begin to reach for his wand, but he placed his hand on the Dark Lord’s arm before he could. He turned to Voldemort, who had a murderous glint in his eye and whispered quietly so only he could hear,

“I have to prove myself or they will never respect me.”

His father narrowed his crimson eyes, but nodded and relaxed back in his chair to watch the scene play out.

Before Hawkins could even react, Vasilis had his wand out, and sent a curse in his direction. As the man was dodging the curse, Vasilis shed his emerald green outer robe, so he was only wearing his black dress shirt, black trousers, and black dress shoes to allow for more movement.

The Dark Prince used his chair as a step, before he stepped onto the table, and began walking gracefully towards the man who cast several Dark curses in his direction. Vasilis just blocked each spell easily, and continued in his direction without sending back spells of his own.

Hawkins was obviously still furious at this point, but he was also becoming nervous as Vasilis got closer.

Eventually the man pushed his chair back from the table, and moved to stand by the wall to create more distance between them. Vasilis chuckled as he asked humorlessly,

“Running away now, are you Hawkins? And here I thought you wanted to be my father’s favorite?”

That obviously was a sore spot for the man, because he snarled as he shot several more curses in the Prince’s direction. Vasilis dissolved each one with a cold look on his face, and cast his own spells at the stupid man. How he had earned a place in his father’s Inner Circle, Vasilis did not understand.

_“Expulso. Acidum Sanguis. Incarceros. Expelliarmus.”_

He greatly overpowered the first two spells, weakening the man's shield enough for the final spell to break through easily. Ropes wrapped tightly around the man, and his wand flew into Vasilis’ golden hand.

Vasilis casually placed his wand back into the holster on his right arm, as Hawkins stared at him in fear. He held out his now empty hand in the man’s direction, and used wandless magic to levitate him onto the table. The Dark Prince set Hawkins down on the very center of the table, and began circling him like a predator as he said loud enough for everyone to hear,

“Like it or not I am your Prince, and you will respect me, or else you will face the consequences like our dear friend Mr. Hawkins here. Now… normally I do not support torture of Dark Order members, but I believe Mr. Hawkins has earned this punishment. Perhaps next time he will consider respecting his betters.”

Vasilis knew he needed to impress his father’s followers, so he decided to use a spell he had only recently mastered with wandless magic. The only other person he knew capable of performing this spell wandlessly was the Dark Lord himself. He held out his right hand towards the wide eyed man, and muttured,

“ _Crucio.”_

The red light immediately ensnared Hawkins, and he let out a blood curdling scream as he thrashed against his bonds.

Vasilis held the spell for a full minute, enjoying the feel of Dark Magic flowing through his veins, before releasing the curse. Hawkins laid there panting and sobbing pitifully, but he had no such patience for the man’s whining. He used magic to force Hawkins to look at him and hissed,

“I could have held that spell for much longer Hawkins, I could have killed you for your tongue, and my father would have allowed it. I have showed you mercy just now, and you should be grateful. Don’t ever think about speaking against me again, unless you enjoy being punished by an eleven year old boy in front of the whole Inner Circle.”

Hawkins looked very fearful as he shook his head and stuttered,

“No-no My Prince. I apologize, p-please forgive me. It will never happen again, I swear.”

Vasilis sent the man a deadly glare as he sliced the ropes from his body,

“See that it does not. Now sit down in your chair and do not even look in my direction for the duration of the meeting.”

Without waiting for the man to move, Vasilis stepped over his shaking body, and glided back towards his seat near the head of the table next to his father.

As he jumped off the table, and landed gracefully on his feet, Voldemort gave him a proud look. Vasilis sent him a smirk in return, and pulled his elegant emerald robe back on before sitting down.

They all watched as the pitiful figure of Elijah Hawkins dragged himself down the table and into his chair. Once the man was finally situated, Voldemort glared at each of his followers and said,

“Vasilis is my son. _My_ son, and your Prince. You will obey him and respect him, or else he has my permission to kill you. Do not even consider the possibility of winning a duel against him, because I have trained him myself. Consider yourselves warned.”

The Dark Lord allowed that threat to sink in for a moment before he continued,

“Now onto the next order of business. From this day forward, I want weekly updates on your progress moving up in the Ministry. Also, by the end of next week, I would like a detailed report from each of my followers currently working in the Ministry, containing any useful information about current employees. I want to know who is bribing who, I want lists of each employees friends, family, and enemies, along with their strengths and weaknesses. I want to know absolutely everything. We need leverage over every Ministry worker who is not on our side, and we need it as soon as possible. Start searching.”

“In addition, this summer I will be leaving several times to attend to important international relations. My son will be joining me on these missions, along with several of my most trusted. During the times when I am gone, you are to report to the Dark Lady with all of your findings. As you already know, her word is as good as mine, so you will follow any orders she gives you without hesitation. If I come home from my travels and find that you did not, you will not like the consequences.”

Rodolphus cleared his throat then and asked,

“If I may inquire My Lord, where is it that you will be traveling? And does it pertain to the International Dark Council?”

Voldemort nodded and replied,

“Yes it pertains to the council. The IDC had not met for many years, which means alliances need to be strengthened, and terms need to be renegotiated. As for where we are traveling… we will be leaving for Romania to meet with the Vampires in a few weeks, and then America later in the summer. That is all you need to know. Does anyone else have important information to report?”

Severus spoke up then,

“I have news regarding Dumbledore, My Lord. He officially called the first meeting of the Order of the Phoenix on over 10 years. He told them he believes you are back, although he has no proof of his claim. They are beginning to make preparations for war.”

The Dark Lord scowled deeply,

“He will do whatever he can to expose us to the public eye. We cannot let that happen. Vasilis, make sure to have articles published on Dumbledore soon. We must begin destroying his savior facade immediately before investigations begin.”

Vasilis nodded once and said,

“Of course Father. My correspondent has informed me they have found some interesting information on Dumbledore, and that they should have enough to write several articles soon.”

Voldemort nodded and looked back towards Severus,

“Do they have any concrete plans that you know of to expose us?”

“They do not. Although, they were hinting at the possibility of convincing the DMLE to raid Malfoy Manor for Dark artefacts. I believe they will use the opportunity to search for any evidence of you.”

His father sighed deeply, and was quiet for a few minutes before he replied,

“Lucius, Malfoy Manor must be cleared out completely. Any information pertaining to the coming war must be moved here. If you have any Dark artefacts, you may store them here as well. The followers who are living in your manor after being released from Azkaban must be moved immediately. Lestrange castle is currently empty, and the Ministry will not think to search there. Go place strong wards around the property to keep everyone out.”

Lucius bowed his head slightly,

“Of course My Lord, it will be done.”

Voldemort looked around the table as he asked again,

“Any more information to report? No? Good. You are dismissed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have added a new work to this series containing fanart that several of my readers have created! There will be more art added to it soon, so go check it out!


	5. Nightmares and Revenge

**June 19th 1992, Slytherin Castle**

 

_ “Get over here you freak!” _

_ Harry cringed and shrunk in on himself, trying to make himself as small as possible. He had tried running away from the Dursleys tonight after dinner, but the police had found him and brought him back. Now the police were gone, and Vernon was furious.  _

_ “I said get over here!” _

_ Harry groaned as he was thrown into the living room wall. Vernon came closer then, and stomped down on his leg, before stomping down on his arm.  _

_ Harry cried out as he heard the bones snap. He didn’t understand what he had done to deserve this from them? Why couldn’t the police have just let him go when he begged them. Why wouldn’t they send him somewhere else? Even an orphanage was better than this.  _

_ Vernon backed up a little, and kicked him hard in the chest. Harry felt the familiar feeling of his ribs cracking, and he struggled desperately to catch his breath and fight through the pain. He was gasping, and crying, and begging, _

_ “Please stop Uncle Vernon, I am sorry! It won’t happen again, I promise! I will never leave ever again!” _

_ Vernon just sneered, _

_ “You stupid, stupid boy! You fucking freak! You could have gotten us in trouble! I should kill you for this!” _

_ Vernon kicked him again, but this time in the stomach. Harry threw up all over the floor immediately afterwards, unable to help himself. The pain was too much and it was making him sick.  _

_ “Now you have made a mess you freak! Get over here!” _

_ Vernon grabbed him, and dragged him to the center of the living room. He flipped Harry over onto his stomach, and ripped his oversized t shirt from his tiny body.  _

_ Harry heard the tell tale sound of Vernon removing his belt, and he braced himself for the first impact. Often times Vernon would wait several minutes, to allow the anticipation to grow, but Vernon was much to angry for that.  _

_ The first hit was harder than any other time before, and it knocked the breath out of his lungs. The next hit and the one after that were equally as hard. Vernon just wouldn’t stop, and Harry thought he was going to die for sure this time.  _

_ Vernon kept hitting until the skin on Harry’s back was in shreds, and he was unconscious. The beefy man then threw him in his cupboard under the stairs to die in a puddle of his own blood. There was no way he was surviving this.  _

_ Then the vision shifted, and he was no longer in the cupboard.  _

_ This time, he was sitting in a wooden crib, crying because loud shouting had woken him up from his sleep. Suddenly, Harry’s mum ran into the room, and stood between the crib and the door. She yelled at the man who was standing in the shadows, _

_ “No! Not my Harry!” _

_ The shadow laughed and said, _

_ “He is not your son, and now you are going to pay for ever taking him from me. Avada Kedavra!”   _

_ A bright flash of green surrounded his mum, and she fell to the ground with a thud. This made Harry cry even harder. Why was his mum on the floor?  _

_ The Shadow man approached him then, and Harry realized he wasn’t a shadow at all. The man had black wavy hair, and red eyes. Harry was confused because he recognized this man. Who was he?  _

_ The man smiled happily as he reached down into the crib and picked him up. The man’s eyes filled with tears and he whispered, _

_ “My son. Finally I have found you. Look how big you have grown.” _

_ The man cradled Harry into his chest, and kissed the top of his head gently. Harry decided he liked this man. He felt like home. Was this man his dad? Harry was confused.  _

_ Harry stopped crying as the man rocked him and whispered to him quietly. This man felt safe to him. _

_ Suddenly someone else spoke from behind them, _

_ “You shouldn’t have come Tom. You should have left the boy with me. You have made a grave mistake.” _

_ Harry could feel the man holding him get angry as he spun around to face the voice. An old man with a long beard was standing there near the door, with a mean look on his face. The man holding Harry spat dangerously, _

_ “You expect me to just give up my own son Dumbledore? Weren’t you the one who always lectured on the importance of love and family!?” _

_ “You do not love him Tom. We both know you are not capable of such a thing. You just want him to grow up to be a weapon for the Dark Order.” _

_ The red eyed man tightened his hold on Harry and snarled, _

_ “How dare you say that! How dare you even think I do not love my son! Do you have any fucking idea what you have put my wife and I through in the last year! You are a bloody disgrace to wizarding kind! You don’t want to give up your power, so you decided to kidnap my child because you were desperate! Even I wouldn't sink that low Dumbledore!” _

_ The beard man smiled, and his eyes twinkled as he replied, _

_ “It was for the greater good Tom. Surely you can understand that?” _

_ The red eyed man let out a roar of fury, and took out his magic stick then, and began sending colors of light towards the old man.  _

_ The red eyed man and old man were sending many colors back and forth, making the walls of the house break, and the windows shatter. The man holding him tightened his grip again, and growled with frustration.  _

_ Suddenly, a bright green colored light, like the one that had hit his mum was coming straight towards them. The red eyed man spun around, so that his back was facing the green light.  _

_ The last thing Harry saw was the red eyed man look down at him sadly, before the light surrounded him, and they both fell.  _

Vasilis sat up straight in his bed gasping for breath. He felt abruptly sick to his stomach, and sprinted into his bathroom where he heaved desperately for the next several minutes. 

By the time he was finished, he was shaking uncontrollably as tears ran down his face. He rinsed his mouth out with cold water, and ran towards his parents bedroom. 

Vasilis had just watched the memory of his father die, and he couldn’t control the panic rising within him. He needed to see him to make sure he was still here. He just had to make sure. 

He opened his parents door, and noticed both figures lying in the bed, fast asleep. He ran over to them, and jumped on the bed, unable to help himself. 

The Dark Lord rolled over onto his back, and looked at him with bleary eyes,

“Vasilis? What’s wrong?”

The young prince threw himself at his father, and wrapped his arms tightly around him as he sobbed,

“You were dead. You had come to save me and then I watched you die. Oh merlin I can’t lose you Father, I needed to see you.”

Voldemort seemed to understand then, because he wrapped his arms tightly around him, and whispered,

“Shhh, it's alright. I am right here, and I am alive. Everything is alright.”

Vasilis just nodded into his father’s neck, but didn’t let go. He felt his mother rubbing her hand on his back in a soothing motion, and he tried to calm himself down. His parents were here, everything was okay. 

After a long while the shaking subsided, and the sobbing ceased. Vasilis released his father, and rolled onto his back between his parents. They both rolled onto their sides to face him, and his mother wiped the remaining tears from his face as she asked gently,

“Nightmare?”

Vasilis nodded and leaned into her tender touch, still very shaken up by the memory of his father dying. That was his first time ever reliving that memory, and he hadn’t realized he remembered that night to begin with. He closed his eyes and whimpered quietly

“It started out with Vernon… he was hurting me after I tried running away from him, and the police brought me back. He was furious for making him look bad, so he broke my bones, and whipped me until I thought for sure I was going to die. The skin on my back was completely shredded, and I passed out. That's when it changed to the night you came for me father. The night at the Potter’s house. I watched you die.”

More tears were running down his face by the time he finished explaining, so his father wrapped his arms around Vasilis and pulled him into his chest. 

“I am sorry that you remember that night. I wish you didn’t. You didn’t need to see that.” 

His mother pet his hair, helping him relax as she said,

“Sleep darling. You can stay in here tonight. Everything is okay now.” 

Vasilis nodded silently, and felt her kiss the top of his head. He allowed himself to fall asleep to the feel of his father’s strong arms wrapped protectively around him, and his mother’s fingers running gently through his hair. 

He was safe with them. 

 

* * *

 

Bella stared at her young son being held in her husband's arms. She was worried about him, and angry. If it weren’t for Dumbledore, this never would have happened. 

Vasilis was an extraordinarily talented and confident in life, but when it came to his past, he was reduced to a broken little boy. Her son didn’t deserve this. 

She looked to her husband and asked through the bond so she wouldn’t wake Vasilis,

_ What are we going to do? _

He sighed deeply and responded,

_ There is really nothing we can do right now Bella. My own nightmares lasted many years even after the abuse ended. We just have to be here when it happens. _

_ What about when he goes away to school? We won’t be there Marvolo.  _

_ I don’t know. We will have to figure something out. I thought he had started to move past this because he hasn’t had a nightmare in a very long time.  _

Marvolo paused then with a thoughtful expression on his face. After a while, he looked at her and asked,

_ Bella will you go in his room and see if he has a silencing spell placed around his bed? He used to do that before I found out about his nightmares. The only reason I even found out he did it was because I was in the room when he had a nightmare one night. I told him not to use the spells anymore, but he could have done it anyways out of embarrassment. That would explain why we haven’t known he was having nightmares since he came home from Hogwarts. He could be hiding them.  _

Bellatrix nodded, and stood from the bed slowly, making sure to be quiet so she did not wake their son. She walked from her bedroom, to the open doorway right across the hall. She walked inside, and cast a spell towards the bed to determine if there were silencing spells. Her spell came back positive a moment later, and she sighed as she walked back into her own bedroom. 

She crawled back into bed, and her husband gave her a questioning look,

_ Well? _

She nodded and replied,

_ There was a silencing spell. I think he is afraid of appearing weak in front of you. He looks up to you and admires you even more than he does for me. Apparently this nightmare he experienced tonight was too much for him to handle alone, which is why he came to us.  _

Marvolo growled quietly and whispered out loud,

“Damn you son, why do you do this to yourself?”

Bella reached over and brushed her fingers across her husband's jaw as she suggested,

_ Perhaps tomorrow we should wait until he is asleep, and then dissolve his silencing spell. That way we will hear him if he has a nightmare?  _

Her husband nodded in agreement,

_ Yes, that is what we shall do. Let’s go to sleep, there is nothing else that can be done tonight. He is okay here with us. _

She leaned over to kiss him once, and placed a gentle kiss on her son’s cheek before lying down beside them. She saw her husband relax onto his pillow, and pull Vasilis more tightly into his arms. Bella smiled seeing that. Marvolo was always extremely protective of everything he considered to be his. He was a very possessive man, and it was obvious he considered their son to be one of the most important parts of his life.

Marvolo had been very worried when he first found out he was going to be a father. He had been worried he would fail, since he had practically raised himself in the orphanage. His fears were unfounded from what she had witnessed so far. He was an excellent father to their son, and it was nice to see how close the two of them were. 

She forced the worries about her son from her mind, and focused on the fact that they were all together again. That was what mattered. As long as they were together, they could overcome any obstacle thrown their way. 

 

* * *

 

That next night, Voldemort and his wife were sitting near the fire in their bedroom, waiting for their son to fall asleep. They were going to remove the silencing spells Vasilis had placed around his bed to hide his nightmares from them. 

The Dark Lord didn’t quite understand why his son felt the need to hide his pain. He thought he had made himself perfectly clear when he told Vasilis the abuse didn’t make him weak, but apparently his child still felt the need to hide his pain. 

Voldemort decided in that moment he was going to retrieve the muggles and bring them to the castle for his son. He had originally planned to wait until after the war had begun, in order to prevent people from suspecting he had returned, but now he didn’t care. The muggles deserved to die the most painful deaths imaginable for their crimes against his son. 

He was going to torture them mercilessly every day for eight years, so they would understand what they put his son through. He would whip the muggle’s son right in front of them until his back was bloody, so they understood the pain Voldemort felt every time his child had a nightmare. He was going to skin them, gut, them, and break their bones. 

Every. Single. Day.  

They would beg him, and apologize for hurting Vasilis, but in the end their pleads would be meaningless. They hadn't listened to Vasilis when he begged them to stop hurting him, so why would the Dark Lord stop? 

No. He wouldn’t stop. They would never die in peace.

“Marvolo.”

Voldemort looked up towards Bella who was sitting across from him. She gave him a knowing look and said,

“You are making the room colder. You need to relax darling.”

He realized then, his anger had made the temperature drop drastically, and he could now see his breath. He closed his eyes, and forced himself to calm down. When he opened his eyes again, the room had returned to its normal temperature. 

Bella walked over to him to place a firm kiss on his lips, and as she pulled back she whispered,

“It has been long enough. I think he is asleep.”

Voldemort sighed deeply and stood from his chair. They both walked to their son’s bedroom door, and opened it carefully. He smiled slightly when he saw his son practically buried in a mountain of pillows, with Alekos curled up near the foot of his bed. 

He walked over to the side of the bed, and silently removed the charms Vasilis had placed all around it. He had to give his son credit, they were rather powerful charms, and it took him several minutes to take them all down. 

Once Voldemort had finished, he nodded towards his wife, and they both walked back into their bedroom to wait for the first signs of a nightmare. If he was correct in his suspicions, Vasilis was still experiencing them almost every night.

The Dark Lord and Lady were sound asleep a couple of hours later when they heard a blood chilling scream. Neither of them hesitated to jump out of bed and run into their son’s room. The second they threw open his door, Voldemort saw his son lying on his back, nearly ripping the blankets to shreds in his agony. 

Bella reached him first and pulled him into her arms as she said,

“Wake up Vasilis. Wake up, it's just a dream. We are here for you.”

Vasilis awoke with a jolt then, and looked around his room frantically as if he were searching for danger. Voldemort reached over to gently place his hand on his son’s shoulder and said,

“It’s alright Vasilis, it was just a dream.”

His child nodded slowly, as if trying to confirm this for himself. They all sat in silence for a long while, waiting for Vasilis’ heavy breathing to slow. Once his son had calmed down he asked,

“Vasilis… I thought I told you not to put up silencing charms.”

The young prince’s eyes widened, and he looked down at his hands in shame. Voldemort hated seeing that look on his face, so he said,

“You do not need to worry about my opinions Vasilis. I do not believe your nightmares make you weak, and I never will. Our struggles are what define us. They make us stronger, and they make us who we are today. Powerful wizards with the potential to change the world. No more silencing charms. Your mother and I want to help you through this, and help you overcome your past. We cannot do that if you hide from us. We are a family, we do not hide from one another. Do you understand?”

The Dark Lord made sure to make his voice sound gentle and honest, willing his son to understand. Vasilis closed his eyes, and leaned into his mother’s embrace as he said,

“I understand. I’m sorry Father, I promise I won’t do it again.”

He smiled, and leaned over to kiss the top of his son’s head as Bella leaned into his shoulder. A strong desire to protect his family shot through him as he looked down on his wife and son’s tired faces. They were his, and he would never allow any harm to come to them ever again. 

 

* * *

 

**June 21st 1992, Hogwarts Room of Requirement**

 

Blaise and Felix were both standing on the raised platform they had asked the  room of requirement for several minutes earlier. They only have a few days left at Hogwarts, and they wanted to extract revenge for what was done to their Prince. 

It was the Slytherin way after all, and perhaps they could put a dent in Dumbledore’s pristine reputation in the process. Every member of both the Inner and Outer circles were present with eager expressions on their faces. They knew what this meeting was about, and they were all eager to begin making plans. 

Felix stepped forward slightly. He was Vasilis left hand, which meant he had more power than Blaise so he would be doing the talking during this meeting. 

“Good evening everyone. As most of you are well aware, we don’t have much time before we leave this place for good. You all know what Dumbledore did to Vasilis, and I wish to get revenge for what was done to him. Before we start brainstorming ideas however, there is something else we need to discuss. Many of you are from Light families, and some of these families are a part of Dumbledore’s Order of the Phoenix. There is a fairly good chance that you will hear your families making plans over the summer for war. If you hear anything of use, you are to report directly to Blaise, Draco, and myself. We will then speak to Vasilis about whatever information you give us. The Dark Lord wishes for this coming war to end as quickly as possible to prevent magical blood from being spilt unnecessarily. Any information you give us could help us end the war quickly. Do you understand?”

Everyone nodded in agreement, so Felix continued,

“Good. Now onto the next order of business. We need to come up with a plan for revenge, you may call it a prank if you wish. One that won’t kill Dumbledore or make him look like a victim because that would ruin our leader’s plans. If you have any ideas, please share them now.”

Unsurprisingly the twins were the first to speak up,

“We could release acromantulas into his office!”

Blaise nearly snorted in amusement. Now that would be a sight to see. Felix just sighed and shook his head,

“No, they would probably bite him and possibly kill him, that won’t work.”

Fred then shrugged and spoke with a hopeful expression on his face,

“Can we charm his lemon drops so he chokes on them?”

Blaise couldn’t help but chuckle hearing that. He would love to see the man choke on his precious lemon drops. But Felix just repeated,

“We can’t kill him guys. Anyone else?”

George was going to speak again, but before he could the doors to the room of requirement opened with a crash, and Aetius ran in. His jet black hair was a mess and his mouth was twisted in a cruel smirk. The Inner Circle member closed the door behind him and he held up a piece of paper as he walked towards the raised platform.

“I have just finished inventing a spell for Dumbledore. I believe you are all going to love it.”

Blaise wasn’t that surprised to hear this. Like Vasilis, Aetius was skilled in spell crafting, and was hoping to become a spell crafting master one day. Curious to see what his friend had created, he walked over to the edge of the platform and took the parchment from his hand. Blaise read over it carefully, and his smirk grew with every word. 

Once he had finished reading, he looked down towards the messy haired Ravenclaw and asked,

“Are you sure you aren’t a Slytherin?”

Aetius shrugged and replied honestly,

“The hat said I could have been either one, so I picked Ravenclaw.”

“Shame. You would have made a great Slytherin. This is perfect. Are you sure it cannot be traced back to us?”

Aetius nodded with that smirk on his face,

“I combined this the spell with a disillusionment charm, and a concealment spell. There is literally no way to detect this spell once it has been cast. I have tried every detection spell known to man and nothing has worked. I was very careful in my design. All we have to make sure to do is remove our magical signature after casting the spell and no one will ever know it was us.”

Blaise’s wicked smirk grew,

“Brilliant. Now we just have to break into Dumbledore’s office to curse his lemon drops.”

 

* * *

 

It was several hours later when Felix, Aetius, Daphne, and Blaise all snuck out of the Slytherin common room to carry out their revenge. They disillusioned themselves, and stuck to the shadows as they carefully made their way to the headmaster’s office. 

Surprisingly Snape was there to meet them. 

He removed their charms and whispered quietly,

“I figured you would attempt something tonight for what he did.”

Felix frowned and asked,

“Are you going to stop us?”

Professor Snape just stared at them for a long while before he replied,

“No I am going to help you. What is your plan?”

Aetius spoke up then,

“I invented a spell that makes the target hallucinate their biggest fear. It is completely untraceable, and begins to activate 4 hours after the spell is cast. We were going to cast it on his lemon drops since we probably couldn’t get close enough to cast it on him directly. Everytime he eats a lemon drop, he will get another dose of the curse, and since the curse takes four hours to activate, he won't know what is causing it. We are hoping it drives him mad.”

They smiled as they watched Snape’s lips twitch in amusement. Most wouldn’t have noticed the small movement, but after spending so much time in the potion master’s presence, they had learned some of his subtle emotion changes. Snape nodded and drawled,

“Interesting. Here is what we will do. I will go up there and distract him for a short while with a fake report on the Dark Lord’s movements, and you will curse the lemon drops when he isn’t paying attention. Now hold still, I am going to cast strong disillusionment and magic invisibility spells on each of you so he cannot see or sense your magic. You will still however be able to see one another and speak to one another f necessary. Ready?”

They each nodded as excitement filled them. With Snape involved, their plan was much less risky, and he would be much more capable of saving them if they got caught. 

Snape cast the spells on each of them, before he turned to the gargoyle which guarded Dumbledore’s office and said,

“Acid Pops.”

Blaise sneered hearing that ridiculous password. Dumbledore was truly unbearable, and how anyone could stand him, he did not know. 

The gargoyle began moving immediately, and they all walked up the stairs. Blaise and the others all cast silencing spells on their feet to prevent them from being heard, and carefully followed Snape up the stairs to an old wooden door. Snape knocked three times, and opened the door when he heard Dumbledore call for him to enter. They all walked into the office quickly when Snape opened the door, knowing he couldn’t leave it open long without looking suspicious. 

Blaise immediately spotted the bowl of lemon drops on the man’s desk, but he knew they had to wait for Snape to distract him before they could make their move. They waited there patiently as Snape took out a piece of parchment and rolled it out onto a table located towards the right side of the office. If Dumbledore moved to stand next to Snape, it would give them the perfect opening. His back would be to them, which meant there would be no chance of him seeing them. 

Dumbledore looked at Snape curiously and asked,

“What have you got there my dear boy?”

Snape scowled and spat,

“He summoned me, and I think I have a list of possible locations he will use as bases. I overheard him speaking to another Death Eater after the meeting.” 

That seemed to peak Dumbledore’s interest immediately, and he stood from his chair to join Snape by the table. 

Felix and Daphne stayed near the door as they had planned, to get back up if needed, while Aetius and Blaise made their way to the desk. Aetius didn’t hesitate to point his wand at the bowl of lemon drops and murmur,

_ “Hallucinatio Invisibilis Metus.” _

The lemon drops glowed momentarily, not that Dumbledore could see it. Blaise and Aetius smirked knowing they had succeeded in casting the curse. They vanished any trace of their magic, and were about to turn to stand by the door with Felix and Daphne, when Blaise caught sight of Dumbledore’s phoenix, Fawkes. 

The yellow, orange, and red bird was staring directly at him, and somehow Blaise knew the bird was able to see through his disillusionment spells. He mentally pleaded with the bird not to say anything. If they were caught, Snape would have to give up his position as a spy to save them, because Dumbledore would surely kill them for trying to curse him. It wouldn’t be all that surprising if he killed them. 

He did after all almost kill the Dark Prince. 

Blaise stared at the bird for a long period of time with a pleading expression on his face, willing the bird to understand. He nearly yelped when he heard a melodious voice speak inside his mind,

_ I will not tell him Fire Lord. He has done many terrible things, and he deserves all that is being done to him. I have seen all the things you and your mate will accomplish together, and I want you to succeed. _

Blaise was gaping at the bird, utterly dumbstruck. What was this bird talking about? He gave the bird a questioning look and asked in his mind,

_ What do you mean? Fire Lord? What mate? And how can you speak to me? I thought phoenix’s could only speak to those they were bonded to? _

Fawkes chuckled inside of his mind, a truly beautiful sound if he were being honest.

_ It is true that I can normally only speak to Dumbledore. However, phoenixes are creatures of fire, and you are a fire lord. This makes us alike in many ways, and allows us to communicate.  _

_ I still don’t understand what you mean when you say fire lord. I am not a fire lord, and you answered my question about my mate? Who is it? _

The bird chuckled once again and replied with humour in its voice,

_ You will learn in due time. I understand that patience is not your strongest trait, but you must wait. Your questions will be answered when you are ready. Now go, Dumbledore and the potions master are almost finished speaking.  _

Blaise turned and looked towards the two men, and heard Dumbledore say,

“You truly believe he will use the abandoned Yaxley Manor as a base?”

Blaise carefully made his way back towards his friend, and listened as Snape replied,

“From the conversations I have overheard, yes. It makes the most sense for him to use that manor. It is nearly crumbling to the ground, and no one will suspect him to use it as his base. With strengthening and support spells, it will be exactly what he needs to work.”

Dumbledore rubbed his bearded chin thoughtfully and nodded,

“Yes, I believe you may be right my boy. No one would suspect a manor that is barely standing. It is exactly what Tom would do. Thank you for this information, and for your loyalty. Please inform me if he summons you again.”

Blaise practically laughed hearing that. It was well known that Snape was firmly on the Dark Lord’s side. In addition, Snape had just given Dumbledore a false location. He had heard from Vasilis himself that Slytherin Castle was going to be used as a base for the Dark Order, and Lestrange Castle was to act as a hospital and prison under the fidelius charm to prevent anyone from finding it. Dumbledore would never be capable of finding Slytherin Castle either because of the many wards the Dark Lord had added over the past several months since his return. Slytherin Castle was now impenetrable, and only those the Dark Lord allowed to enter could get in. The Dark Lord wasn’t taking any chances with the lives of his family ever again. 

Blaise was snapped out of his internal musings when he heard Snape respond,

“Of course headmaster. I will report to you immediately. Goodnight.”

With that, Snape turned on his heel, and walked towards the door with his robes billowing behind him dramatically. The group followed the potions master down the stairs, nearly laughing the entire way. 

They couldn’t wait to see the results of their revenge. 

 

* * *

 

**June 24th 1992, Slytherin Castle Library**

 

**_Defeater of Grindelwald Transported to St. Mungo’s After Mental Breakdown!_ **

_ That is right ladies and gentlemen. The almighty Dumbledore experienced what healers called a mental breakdown this morning during breakfast at Hogwarts. It was stated by one of the professors that Dumbledore had been acting strange the past several days, speaking to people who weren’t there, and acting paranoid. It was during breakfast when the man finally snapped.  _

_ Eyewitness accounts say Dumbledore started screaming at one of the Hufflepuff students for ‘killing Ariana and running away’. Dumbledore then took out his wand and began waving it in the direction of the helpless student, so other professors were forced to intervene. After being examined by the Hogwarts medical staff, it was determined that Dumbledore was to be evaluated by the more qualified staff of St. Mungos. It has not been determined how long he will be a patient there.  _

_ Professor of Transfiguration, Minerva McGonagall will be acting headmistress while he is away. Which then raises the question: Is Dumbledore qualified to run a school filled with our children? _

 

Vasilis’ jaw had practically dropped to the floor reading that article, and any trace of his pureblood mask was gone. The last thing he had ever expected was for Dumbledore to have a mental breakdown. 

In fact… the whole situation seemed rather odd.

Then, it clicked. This wasn’t just an accident. This was revenge, surely organized by his followers. Dumbledore may be the worst human on the planet, but he was mentally sound, and more than capable of making intelligent and rational decisions. It was highly unlikely that any amount of stress would cause the man to snap, which meant this had all been a setup. Since his own followers had to be convinced not to kill Dumbledore after learning what happened to Vasilis, it was likely that they were the culprits.  

He laughed outright after coming to that conclusion. Oh yes… his followers were definitely Slytherins at heart. This had worked perfectly in their favor. Dumbledore's reputation had just taken a severe blow, and he only wished he could have been there to see it all in person. 

The Dark Lord and Lady looked at him curiously then, so he just held out the paper for them to read. They took it, and the matching smirks that appeared on their faces were positively feral. 

His father laughed, looking very amused as he asked,

“Was this your work?”

Vasilis shook his head,

“No, I knew nothing of it. Though, I do believe it was the work of my followers. They were furious after learning what happened to me. It doesn’t surprise me that they would do something like this.” 

His mother smiled and noted,

“This is going to change the public’s perception of him. There is even a good chance he will be removed as headmaster.”

Vasilis returned her smile and replied,

“As much as I would love for that to happen, I doubt it will. I hate to say it, but Dumbledore is intelligent, and I have a feeling he will find a way to get out of this one.” 

“Let us hope he isn’t able to work his way out of it then.”

The Dark Prince smirked and nodded,

“Yes, let's hope he doesn’t.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know the Dark Lord is pissed when he swears right? And for those of you who want to see Dumbledore's mental breakdown, don't worry, you will get to hear all about it when Vasilis and his followers are reunited again!


	6. You Disobeyed Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am terribly sorry that I haven't posted in awhile. I had five exams this last week so I was very busy. I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

**July 1st 1992, Malfoy Manor Floo Room**

 

Vasilis stepped through the floo into Malfoy Manor, and was immediately bombarded with billions of questions from his followers who were waiting there for him.

“Are you okay?”

“Can we see your new arm?”

“Did you see what we did to Dumbledore?”

“What is our plan now?”

Vasilis just chuckled and raised his hand to quiet them all down. There were over forty people present, and he couldn’t answer all their questions at once. He glanced at all of the faces of his followers, noticing the looks of admiration they were sending him. It was obvious they had missed him, and if Vasilis was being honest with himself, he missed them too. He had missed their dark senses of humor, and witty come backs.

He had even missed just reading in silence with his Inner Circle.

They had all returned home from Hogwarts the day before, and now they were home for the summer holidays. He had written to them in their journals the night before informing them to meet him at Malfoy Manor this morning for a meeting. It had been a long time since they last spoke in person, and they had much to discuss. Besides that, they also had to spend the next several days taking their placement tests for the Academy in September.

Most children their age loathed taking tests, but that wasn’t the case for them today. The sooner they took their placement tests, the sooner they would find out what levels of classes they would be taking. They were all excited to finally be placed into classes that would challenge them, unlike Hogwarts.

He gave them all a smile and motioned for them to follow him.

“Come. The floo room isn’t the best place to hold a meeting.”

They all smiled back, and followed him down one of the manor’s many long corridors. They walked for a long while until they reached the ballroom, which had been filled with desks and tables for them to take their placement tests.

Vasilis walked to the front of the ballroom, while his followers sat down in the many desks. Once everyone was situated and waiting silently for him to speak, he began his speech.

“Thank you everyone for coming. I know you have all been very worried about me, and for that I am grateful. However, let me assure you, I am fine now. My father healed all of my major injuries, and I have long since made a full recovery.”

He paused when he saw both of the Weasley twins raising their hands from their seats in the front row. He chuckled a little and asked,

“Yes?”

Fred cleared his throat before asking,

“Can we see your arm? I heard it is all gold!”

Vasilis just shook his head in amusement and pulled up the sleeves of his robe and dress shirt. He held up his arm for each of them to see, and laughed at the awed expressions on the twins faces. Their jaws dropped, and they breathed,

“That's so wicked. Can the Dark Lord make us golden arms too?”

He laughed and shook his head no,

“You both have arms already. You don’t need a prosthetic. If you ever lose your arm in battle I am sure my father could be convinced to create one for you.”

They practically groaned in disappointment, but Vasilis just ignored them and continued speaking.

“Alright I have to know, which one of you managed to curse Dumbledore?”

He immediately noticed Aetius smirking from where he was sitting next to the Weasley twins. He grinned and asked,

“Was it you Walker?”

Aetius gave him a wicked smile and nodded,

“Yes My Prince, It was me. After he hurt you, we were trying to find a way to get revenge. I had been working on a hallucination spell that I figured would work perfectly for what we wanted to do. The spell is completely undetectable, and makes the victim hallucinate their worst fears. Felix, Blaise, Daphne, Snape, and I all broke into Dumbledore’s office and cursed his lemon drops, so that whenever he ate one he would get a dose of the curse. Snape distracted him with a fake report on your father’s plans, so we were able to cast the curse without a problem. The next few days were… amazing, to say the least. I wish you could have seen him. He was so paranoid!”

Vasilis couldn’t help but laugh a little. He pointed his wand at the doors and incanted,

_“Accio Pensieve.”_

The Malfoy’s pensieve floated into the room a few seconds later. He grabbed it out of the air and moved it so that it was floating in front of him easily.

“I need to see the memories. I want to see how he behaved after being cursed. Come here.”

Aetius didn’t hesitate to follow the order. He walked to the front of the room, and touched his wand to his temple. He placed the silvery memory in the pensieve, and Vasilis didn’t hesitate to enter.

Suddenly, he was standing in the middle of the Hogwarts Great Hall, surrounded by the many students who were eating breakfast contently. He turned when he noticed Dumbledore entering the hall out of the corner of his eye.

Dumbledore had entered through the main doors, and was walking towards the head table. The man looked terrible. He had dark circles around his eyes, and his long beard was slightly messy. Vasilis watched as Dumbledore’s dull eyes darted quickly around the room as if he were looking for danger.

His eyes never once left Dumbledore as the man walked between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables towards the head table. Vasilis grinned once Dumbledore neared the end of the two tables, because the man stopped walking, and glared at one of the second year Hufflepuffs.

The young Hufflepuff paled instantly, and attempted to make herself smaller as if to hide from him. Dumbledore just sneered, and grabbed her shoulder harshly as he growled,

“How _dare_ you come here. After everything you did? After killing Ariana and then leaving! HOW DARE YOU!”  

Dumbledore then took out his wand and pointed it directly in the girl's face as she began crying and begging him,

“Please, _please_ Professor! Please don’t hurt me! I swear I didn’t do anything!”

“ALBUS!!”

Vasilis turned to his left and saw McGonagall marching towards him, followed by Severus, Flitwick, and several other professors. Dumbledore just frowned deeply and spat,

“He _deserves_ this. Let me do this.”

McGonagall forced herself between Dumbledore and the student and scowled,

“Just what do you think you are doing! You do not treat students this way. Back away this instant or we will have to force you!”

Dumbledore seemed very conflicted, but in the end he lowered his wand. McGonagall huffed as she turned to Severus and said,

“Take Professor Dumbledore to the hospital wing to be examined. Take several other professors with you as a precaution.”

Severus nodded, and placed a hand cautiously on Dumbledore's shoulder to lead him from the room. The Headmaster still seemed very angry, and when Vasilis moved to stand closer to the man, he saw the intense fear in his eyes. He couldn’t help but wonder who Ariana was? Maybe he would have to ask Rita to look into it.

Vasilis grinned again as he saw the small smirk on Severus’ lips as he lead Dumbledore from the room. Severus hated the man almost as much as Vasilis did for what happened to Rodolphus. Dumbledore would not be missed when he died someday.

The memory ended with Dumbledore grumbling to himself while his eyes twitched, giving him a deranged look.

The pensieve ejected him then, and he chuckled as he looked over to Aetius.

“Excellent work. This is exactly what we need right now. Now the public is going to doubt him and his position in Britain.”

Aetius smiled hearing his praise and bowed slightly,

“Anything for you My Prince. He deserved it after what he did to you.”

Vasilis returned his smile and replied,

“Thank you. I also have a gift to give you in return. How would you like to take your revenge on Flint?”

Aetius’ jaw dropped,

“What do you mean? Your Father retrieved him from Azkaban?”

Vasilis shook his head and gave him a vicious smirk,

“No, not my father specifically. He made one of the lower level Death Eaters do it. Flint is currently rotting in the dungeons of Slytherin Castle for you to have fun with.”

A few short seconds later, Aetius was wearing an identical smirk on his face,

“Thank you My Prince. I won’t let your gift go to waste.”

The young prince was about to respond when one of the Malfoy house elves, Dobby, popped into the room with a terrified look on his face.

“M-Master Prince sir, Malfoy Manor is being raided by the aurors!”

Vasilis growled in frustration. He knew this would happen from what Severus had told them at the last Death Eater meeting, they just hadn’t expected it to happen so soon. He knew they wouldn’t find anything, and they would never harm him or his followers. They were after all, suppose to be taking their placement tests within an hour.

He turned to his followers and ordered,

“Act normal. Play exploding snap or read a book, just don’t look suspicious. We are all here to take our placement tests if they ask.”

Everyone nodded, and moved to form smaller groups, where they then took out books or began playing  cards. Aetius removed his memory from the pensieve, and Vasilis banished it to where it came from. They both then moved to sit next to Draco, Blaise, Felix, Alecto, and Cygnus.

Once he was sitting in a desk, he turned to Draco and asked,

“Your father removed all of his artefacts, correct?”

Draco nodded and replied,

“Yes. There isn’t anything left here for them to find. Hopefully they won’t be here long.”

Vasilis just nodded, and pulled a book on ancient runes out of his robes.

They all sat their, acting casually for a long while before the aurors finally burst through the doors. There were six of them being lead by a tall, dark skinned man, who he knew as Kingsley Shacklebolt, and another man with a scarred face, a fake eye, and a prosthetic leg.

Vasilis had to fight hard not to glare at the man and send curses his way. Mad Eye Moody was his father’s greatest enemy, second to only Dumbledore.

Moody had managed to escape Voldemort in battle many times, and his father was responsible for the man’s missing eye and leg. He also knew Moody had kidnapped his mother from a battle, and tortured her for information during the first war before his parents had married. The Dark Lord had found his future wife bloody and broken in the basement of an Order of the Phoenix safe house.

Needless to say, Moody wasn’t a friend of the Dark Family.

The aurors walked several feet further into the room, and stared at the large group suspiciously. Moody narrowed his one eye and barked,

“What are all you doing here?”

Vasilis stood from his seat gracefully and spoke,

“We are waiting for the examiners to arrive in order to take our placement tests for the Imperial Academy of Magic.”

Moody glared at him and said harshly,

“You think you’re too good for Hogwarts don’t you boy? Just who do you think you are?”

Vasilis did glare slightly this time, unable to help himself.

“You already know who I am. Now, did you need something from us? Or will you let us get back to our reading?”

Moody gave him a sinister smile as he stated,

“Actually, we have been looking to speak to both you and Mr. Malfoy for a long while now, to understand why you left Hogwarts. It is illegal for you to be homeschooled in Britain after all. We need both you, and Mr. Malfoy to come with us to the Ministry for an interview. If you refuse, we will get a warrant, so I suggest you come quietly”

Vasilis forced his pureblood mask in place as he considered this news. He knew Moody was only really doing this to learn more about his father, and the Academy for Dumbledore. The man didn’t have a real reason to take him, but he knew if he didn’t go, they would arrest him and the philanthropic image he had built over the past few months would be destroyed. Vasilis then considered the fact that his parents would be furious. They only allowed him to travel to Malfoy Manor without them because they knew his entire Inner and Outer Circles would be present to protect him if needed. There were however, many witnesses with them currently. If he suddenly went missing, or if he was harmed in any way, his followers would immediately report it to the DMLE and the Minister.

Vasilis’ face hardened as he made his decision. He looked around the room and said to his followers,

“Draco and I are going with them to the Ministry. If we suddenly disappear, or are injured, you all know who to blame. Please speak to Lucius and Narcissa once we leave here.”

He then turned to Draco, and jerked his head to make him follow. The blond boy stood quickly and they both walked to stand near the aurors.

Moody attempted to place a hand on his shoulder, but he moved out of reach and hissed,

“Watch yourself Moody. I am going with you peacefully. What do you think the citizens of Britain would say if they found out you harmed the poor abused boy, who became one of the most brilliant students Hogwarts had ever seen?”

Moody sneered at him, but didn’t attempt to touch him again, thankfully. He hated being touched by anyone. His parents were the only people he ever felt comfortable enough with to allow it. The thought of anyone else touching him made him want to shudder and cringe in disgust.

Vasilis and Draco both stood tall, and walked gracefully over to the floo room, where they then flooed to the Ministry. He could tell Draco was nervous, but his cousin hid it well, and Vasilis was proud of him for that.

The aurors lead them through the many corridors, until they finally reached the auror department. They separated the two boys into different interview rooms, and left them sitting there alone for the next 20 minutes. Vasilis looked around the boring room, with its white walls and metal table. There weren’t any windows, and the only way out was through the door from which he came.

Finally, after waiting for what felt like an hour, Moody walked into Vasilis’ interview room. The man stared at him for a long while before asking,

“Why did you leave Hogwarts?”

He held up his golden arm and stated casually,

“Bad potions accident. I made a mistake and my cauldron exploded. I lost my arm because of it, and it took me a long while to recover.”

Moody just looked at him with a small smirk on his lips,

“We both know that's not what happened.”

Vasilis made his face appear cold,

“Of course it’s not what happened. Perhaps you would like to share with the world what really happened then hmm? I know you already know.”

Moody didn’t reply, so he laughed coldly,

“No… you wouldn’t do that. You wouldn’t want to ruin your master’s reputation.”

“Tell me where the Dark Lord is and we will leave you alone. We will never come after you again.”

Vasilis made his face go blank,

“My father is dead. That is a well known fact.”

“Don’t lie to me boy, we know he is alive.”

“Well if he is, I haven’t spoken to him. As far as I know he is dead.”

Moody pointed at his prosthetic arm and said,

“If that were true, then how did you get an arm like that.”

The young prince scoffed and lied easily,

“Well obviously I created it. They don’t call me a prodigy for nothing.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Well that is too bad, because it’s the truth.”

Moody grinned then, and pulled out a file.

“I think I know just the thing to make you talk. You Slytherins are all cowards anyways.”

The man opened the file filled with photographs, and laid them out across the table in front of Vasilis.

It took everything the young prince had to keep his face steady after he laid eyes on the gruesome pictures.

They were all of his mother, except she looked slightly younger than she currently did. She was naked, and hanging from the ceiling by chains. Her body was completely covered in cuts, burns, and bruises. Her body was practically coated with blood, and her legs were obviously broken.

The final picture was a close up shot of her back, where someone had carved the words ‘The Dark Lord’s Whore’ deep into her skin.

Vasilis was practically shaking with anger, but he managed to keep his voice steady and cold as he demanded,

“Why do you have these?”

Moody laughed as he replied,

“For situations such as this one, where I need to scare little boys into submission. Now, tell me what you know, or next time it will be you in these pictures.”

Vasilis stood abruptly, and planted his hands flat on the table as he leaned across it, and hissed in Moody’s face.

“You believe showing me pictures of my mother beaten and bloodied by your hand is going to make me talk? Oh, you have absolutely no idea who you are speaking to. I don’t yield to anyone.”

He then picked up all the photos in his hands, and used wandless magic to burn them to a crisp. Moody glared at him and moved to grab him, but before he could Vasilis placed a wandless shield between them. He raised an eyebrow and said,

“You can’t touch me Moody. If you do, the entire Ministry will come down on your head. I control the Wizengamot, and Fudge adores me. Now, here is what is going to happen if you don’t want me to tell the Minister you injured me, and interviewed me without a good reason. You are going to let Draco and I return to Malfoy Manor, and you are going to leave us alone. If you ever try to pull something like this again, you will regret it. Am I understood?”

Moody continued glaring at him until he barked,

“Get out.”

Vasilis chuckled humorlessly,

“Gladly.”

He walked from the room quickly, and opened the door to Draco’s interview room. Kingsley was the one conducting Draco’s interview, and he looked up with an irritated expression on his face. Before the man could say anything, Vasilis looked to Draco and said,

“We are leaving. Now. If they try to stop us, they will no longer have careers by the end of the day.”

Kingsley frowned, but Draco didn’t hesitate to stand and follow him from the room. It wasn’t long before they had reached the floo, and used it to travel back to Malfoy Manor.

The second Vasilis stepped out of the green fire, he gasped. The room was empty, but he could feel his father’s magic flowing through the manor. It was so heavily laced with fury and worry that it was practically suffocating, and Vasilis could feel the weight of it on his body.

Draco stepped out of the floo behind him, and gasped as well. His cousin paled and whispered quietly,

“Vasilis... he’s angry.”

He sighed and nodded as a sense of dread filled him. This wasn’t going to be good.

He was about to start walking to go and find his father, when the man walked into the room.

Voldemort looked utterly terrifying as he stalked towards them. The temperature of the room dropped significantly the second he walked through the door. His pitch black robes were flowing behind him, and his crimson eyes were literally glowing with magic.

In that moment, Vasilis was certain he was going to be punished for agreeing to go to the Ministry. He swallowed hard and whispered,

“I’m sorry Father. They would have gotten a warrant to arrest us if we had refused, then everything I have been working towards would have been for nothing.”

The Dark Lord stopped walking when he was about 15 feet away and hissed,

“Sssilencce. Draco, leave.”

Draco left the room quickly, and once he was gone, his father said,

“Come here. Now.”

Vasilis didn’t hesitate to follow the order, and moved to stand directly in front of his father. He stared down at the floor as tears burned in his eyes, and waited for his punishment. He knew he had made a stupid mistake, and now he was going to have to pay for it.

He stood there for what felt like hours, just waiting for his father to speak.

Eventually he heard his father sigh deeply, and place a hand on his shoulder. Vasilis flinched instinctively at the contact, expecting to be hurt as a punishment, but his father didn't hurt him. Instead he placed his index finger under Vasilis’ chin to make him look up.

When their eyes met, most of the anger disappeared from Voldemort's face. His father kneeled in front of him and pulled him into a tight hug. Vasilis threw his arms around the Dark Lord’s strong shoulders and relaxed slightly.

They stayed like that for a long while before Voldemort spoke,

“Do you have any idea how close I was to launching an attack on the Ministry just now? You shouldn't have gone with them. There were other ways to get around them. And besides… your life is more important to me than the reputation you have built. Your reputation can be fixed. Your life on the other hand, cannot be restored if they kill you. I will not lose you. You are _my_ son, and I protect what is mine. You almost died once not long ago, and I love you far too much to allow that to happen again.”

Vasilis took a deep breath before he whispered,

“I'm sorry. It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time. I didn't know what would have happened if we had refused. Please don't be mad at me, I'm sorry.”

His father sighed again,

“I'm not mad. I was terrified, and that is not a feeling I enjoy. Did they try to hurt you? Did they do anything?”

Vasilis shook his head and pulled back a little so he could look into his father’s eyes,

“No they didn’t hurt me, although it was obvious Moody wished he could. They asked me why I left Hogwarts, and where you were, but I didn’t tell them anything I promise. I told them you were dead, and that if you somehow were alive, I haven’t seen you. Moody… Moody showed me pictures Father. He showed me pictures of Mother.”

Voldemort frowned deeply,

“What pictures?”

  
“I think they were from the time he tortured her for information during the first war. She was… hanging from the ceiling by chains, and completely covered in blood. I burned the pictures immediately after he showed them to me. He thought they would scare me into giving you up.”

The Dark Lord stood with growl and threw his hand in the direction of the windows. The windows shattered into dust, and his father’s magic began whipping around them like a dangerous storm.

Voldemort began pacing back and forth in front of the destroyed windows, and began speaking to no one in particular,

“How _dare_ he! Taking pictures of my wife after torturing her!”

His father muttered a few choice swear words under his breath, before turning back to him and stating,

“You are not to tell your mother you saw those pictures. I doubt she even knows Moody took any. It took her a long time to get over that incident, and I don’t want her thinking back to it. You burned them all?”

Vasilis nodded quickly.

“Yes I burned them all. I doubt he has more copies somewhere else. The pictures he showed me today looked very old. I promise I won’t tell her about them Father.”

Voldemort looked slightly relieved then, and he replied,

“Good. In fact, she doesn’t know you went to the Ministry today. She is still home because I left as quickly as I could to get here. Don’t tell her anything. She worries enough about you already.”

“I won’t tell her, I promise.”

His father nodded, and approached him. Vasilis hugged him again, and listened to him say,

“I am glad you are safe, but you are grounded for disobeying me. You knew your mother and I did not want you putting your life in any sort of danger, and you did it anyways. You also lied to me about your nightmares, and I do not appreciate being lied to. You are not to speak to your friends, or see anyone without my permission for the next three weeks, and you are not allowed in the library for two weeks.”

Vasilis signed and nodded. He didn’t like the fact that he wasn’t going to be able to read, but he hated the fact that he disappointed his father even more. The young prince knew he deserved it, and if he were being honest with himself, he had been expecting much worse.

The Dark Lord looked down at him and continued quietly,

“Now go take your placement tests and come home right after. We leave for Romania next week, and there are things we need to discuss before we go. You may bring your two closest followers with you. Pick two people, and bring them home with you tonight so we can go over details. You will need British political allies to travel with you in the future, when you help me lead. It would be best if they began training with you now. I will alter the wards so they can enter the castle.”

Vasilis hugged him tighter, before releasing him completely.

“Okay Father. I will see you tonight.”

Voldemort gave him a small smile,

“Good luck, not that you will need it.”

 

* * *

 

Later that evening, Vasilis set down his quill after finishing his last placement test for the day. They still had more tests over the next couple of days, but he was thankful to have finished for the day at least.

The examiners gathered up all of the tests and left the ballroom, leaving Vasilis and his followers alone.

The young prince turned to face all of them and said,

“You all may go. Draco Aetius and Felix, stay.”

Draco, Felix and Aetius moved to stand next to him while everyone else walked towards the exit. Once everyone had left, Draco gave him a curious look and asked,

“What can we do for you Vasilis?”

His face turned serious as he replied,

“My father gave me permission to take two of my most trusted followers with us to Romania, so I have chosen both you and Felix. My father has requested that we join him tonight for a meeting to discuss all of the details of the trip, so you are coming with me to Slytherin Castle tonight.”

Their eyes lit up with excitement and apprehension as the nodded in agreement. He then turned to Aetius and said,

“I did promise you could have fun with Flint, so you will come with us and go to the dungeons to visit with him during our meeting.”

Aetius grinned broadly, making Vasilis laugh a little,

“Alright let's go.”

They each walked outside to the apparition point, and used Vasilis’ portkey necklace to travel to Slytherin Castle.

Both Aetius and Felix gasped as they laid eyes on the grand castle before them. They had never before been invited to Slytherin Castle, so this was a completely new experience for them. Vasilis lead the small group down the long pathway, and through the main doors into the entrance hall. Felix and Aetius gasped once again when they walked through the doors, but he ignored them and called for Warpy.

“What cans I be doings for Master Prince sir?”

Vasilis gestured to Aetius and ordered,

“Take Mr. Walker down to the dungeons to see the prisoner.”

Warpy nodded quickly and motioned for Aetius to follow him. Once they were gone, Vasilis began walking towards the library, where he knew his father would be. They walked in silence for the most part, but he could tell Felix was still looking around in awe. That made Vasilis smile a little. He was proud to be a Slytherin, and he was proud to call this place his home.

It took them several minutes to finally reach the library, and when they stepped inside Felix’s jaw dropped completely. His second in command looked around in awe, before turning back to him, falling to his knees, and begging,

“Oh please please let me read some of the books in here? Please?”  
Vasilis laughed a little and nodded,

“You may come back here whenever you wish. Just be sure to write me in advance so I can alter the wards for you. Now, this doesn’t extend to all of my followers. Only you, Draco, and Blaise since you are my top three followers. Understand?”

They both nodded immediately, and Vasilis turned to continue walking. He lead them to the very back corner of the library, where the secret entrance to the crusade chamber was already open.

Inside, the torches were lit, and the shadows were dancing on the walls because of the flames they were emitting.

The Dark Lady, Rodolphus, Lucius, and Barty were all sitting around the large table discussing something with the Dark Lord when they walked in. Each of the older leaders looked up and smiled when they walked into the room.

Voldemort looked up from his documents and said,

“Ahh, finished with exams I see. Come sit down.”

Vasilis nodded and moved to sit on his father’s right, while Draco sat in the open seat next to Lucius, and Felix sat next to Barty.

Once everyone was situated, the Dark Lord began,

“There are several things we need to go over tonight. The first thing you need to know is who we are dealing with. Now I doubt there will be any problems during our time in Romania. The Vampire Lord and I have always shared a close relationship, but it is still important for you each to understand the Vampire Royal Family.”

“There will be other vampires attending our meeting with the Royal family, but do to the fact that we are of higher status than them, they will be required to introduce themselves to us in a respectful way. As for the Royal family, Bella, Vasilis and I are their equals, so we must treat them as such. The proper way for the three of us to greet the Vampires is to bow low, while maintaining eye contact. If we do not hold eye contact, they will see us as weak and insignificant. As for the rest of you, make sure to divert your eyes, or they will view you as disrespectful. You are inferior to them, so you must show them proper respect. Do you all understand?”

Everyone nodded in affirmation so he continued,

“Good. Now, we will mainly be interacting with six individuals. The Vampire Lord, Lysimachus Acciai and his Lady, Demetra Acciai are the leaders of the True Vampires. Their son, Prince Luca Acciai and his mate Alexandra are both scholars, but they are actively involved with many diplomatic missions. And finally, the son of Luca and Alexandra, grandson of the Vampire Lord, Prince Anakoni Acciai and his intended, Isabela Lazarescu. Anakoni and Isabela are meant to take over as leaders of the vampires someday when Lysimachus no longer wishes to lead. They are both currently your age Vasilis, so it is important that you are on good terms with them. They could possibly be your strongest allies someday if you gain their trust.”

Vasilis frowned a little in confusion,

“Anakoni is already engaged at age eleven?”

His father nodded and replied,

“The vampire world is different from ours. They find their mates very young, and spend eternity with them. Vampire mates share a very strong bond. I believe the closest thing wizards have to their bond is the soul bond. They cannot resist the bond, it is impossible.”

He nodded in understanding then, and listened as the Dark Lord continued,

“We already have an agreement with the True Vampires, so this diplomatic mission is mainly to strengthen our relationship with them. Our agreement is to help one another if the other ever asks for it. Ours is a relationship based on trust, and mutual understanding. It is a rare relationship to have in the political world, which is why we must treat it with care, and why we must solidify our agreement.”

The Dark Lord went on to discuss the finer details of the agreement in depth, and by the time the meeting was finished, over two hours had passed. His father dismissed each of them, and just before Vasilis left he asked somewhat nervously,

“Father, Aetius is in the dungeons with flint right now. May I have your permission to go down there to see what he has done, and then escort him, Draco, and Felix from the castle?”

His father raised an eyebrow and reminded him,

“I do believe I grounded you earlier today.”

Vasilis cringed a little and nodded,

“Of course Father. I am sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”

Voldemort paused for a moment, and then surprised him by saying,

“I will allow you 20 minutes with your friends. That is all. Also make sure Flint is dead by the end of the evening. He is starting to make the dungeons smell.”

Vasilis smiled brightly,

“Thank you Father. I will find you after they have all left.”

The Dark Lord nodded and turned back to the documents in front of him.

Vasilis had a smile on his face the entire walk down to the dungeons. He had been waiting for the opportunity to have a little fun with Flint ever since he seriously injured Aetius.

As the group of three reached the cell door, Aetius stepped out covered in blood with a smirk on his face. The young prince laughed a little and asked,

“Did you have fun?”

Aetius grinned and nodded,

“Oh you have no idea. Would you like to see him?”

“Of course.”

They each stepped into the cell, and Vasilis laughed at the sight in front of him. Flint was chained to the wall, covered in his own blood, looking as if he had just been hit by a truck.

Flint looked up as they walked in and whimpered,

“No more, please.”

Vasilis shook his head and sighed,

“I did warn you Flint. I warned you the consequences would be severe if you defied me. Then you did the unthinkable, and attacked one of my followers. You made a big mistake.”

“I-I know.. I am so so sorry. Please forgive me.”

“I do not forgive easily Flint. In fact… I rarely forgive anything.”

Vasilis turned to Aetius then and said,

“My father said he must be dead before you leave. Go ahead and finish him off.”

Aetius nodded and stepped forward smoothly. He held a shaking wand out in front of him and growled,

_“Avada Kedavra.”_

The flash of green engulfed Flint, and left him hanging limply from the wall. Vasilis watched as Aetius took a deep breath, and turned to face him.

“Thank you My Prince for allowing me to do this.”

Vasilis nodded and said quietly,

“We all deserve to have our revenge Aetius. Perhaps someday I will have mine. Now come, my father said I was only allowed to spend 20 minutes with the three of you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who are wondering what Voldemort and Bella look like, Voldemort is basically a younger Ralph Fiennes like this:
> 
> https://www.google.com/search?biw=1163&bih=559&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=young+ralph+fiennes&oq=young+ralph+fiennes&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0j0i30k1j0i8i30k1.19337.20345.0.20711.6.6.0.0.0.0.109.466.5j1.6.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..0.6.465...0i13k1j0i7i30k1j0i8i7i30k1.0.niTVojkI1LM#imgrc=PhtlmxsyLzBugM:
> 
> Bella is a younger Helena Bonham Carter:
> 
> https://www.google.com/search?biw=1163&bih=559&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=helena+bonham+carter&oq=hele&gs_l=psy-ab.1.0.0i67k1j0j0i67k1j0.6543.7392.0.9229.5.5.0.0.0.0.74.267.4.5.0.dummy_maps_web_fallback...0...1.1.64.psy-ab..0.4.266.0...55.bAI_G1MmAqA#imgrc=diWaDfAhYMd9zM:
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!


	7. The Citadel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vampire chapter!!! Sorry this one took me so long to post. I've been very busy lately so it has been hard for me to work on it.

**Chapter 7: Vampire Allies**

 

**July 6th 1992, Vulcan Citadel, Romania**

 

“Father, how long until they meet with us?”

Lord Voldemort glanced down at him and spoke quietly, “They will be here soon.”

Vasilis just nodded, and glanced around the Royal Palace they were currently standing in. The white and red themed building was very beautiful, filled with many ancient paintings, and tattered books. It was rather open, and light which surprised him. He had expected the kingdom of the Vampires to be a dark place, but he had been wrong.

“Welcome back Lord Voldemort. It is good to have you here with us again.”

Vasilis turned to his left immediately after hearing a deep, rich voice speak. A group of about 15 Vampires, each of them dressed impeccably were gliding towards them with an unnatural grace.

It wasn’t difficult to distinguish the Vampire Lord from the rest of the group. He was wearing a large golden pendant with his family's seal engraved into the metal. A skeletal hand, holding a deadly looking dagger. The man was much younger than Vasilis had expected, looking to be about 35 years old -the same age as Lord Voldemort- with dark hair, a strong jaw, and dark piercing eyes. There were five other Vampires walking alongside the man, each of them wearing a smaller version of the golden pendant. Vasilis assumed they were the other members of the Royal family.

Once the Vampires were near, Vasilis bowed deeply along with his mother and father, making sure to maintain eye contact with the different members of the Royal family. He noticed how the rest of the vampires diverted their eyes, looking down at the floor out of respect.

The Vampire lord and the Dark Lord both stared directly at one another, never looking at anyone else. This was a show of strength Vasilis knew. The Vampire Lord may have once been Voldemort’s mentor, but his father was now the most powerful wizard in the world, and he would never lower himself to anyone.

They held the bow for a few seconds, before once again standing tall. The Dark Lord took a step forward and smirked,

“Were you worried I would not return Lord Acciai?”

The Vampire Lord returned his smirk and replied without hesitation in a heavy accent,

“Of course not Lord Voldemort. Not even for a second. Now please, I would like for you and your lovely wife to join my mate and I in my office. We have much to discuss. Perhaps it would give my grandson and your son the opportunity to get to know one another.”

The Dark Lord glanced down at Vasilis and nodded,

“Yes I have to agree. Please, lead the way.”

The Vampire Lord turned on his heel, and began walking towards the exit with his wife by his side. The Dark Lord and Lady followed directly behind them, leaving the rest of the delegation behind.

Vasilis made eye contact with a boy who looked to be his age. Anakoni Acciai had the same dark hair, and piercing eyes as his father and grandfather, but seemed to have some of the more delicate features of his mother who was standing to his left. Vasilis could see the boy was about average height, and he was wearing black and silver silk robes, which seemed to be common among the Vampires he had seen so far.

Vasilis stepped forward with Draco and Felix following behind, and approached the boy. He held out his hand and said, “Prince Acciai, it is an honor to finally meet you.”

The boy smirked and reached to take his hand. He shook it firmly and spoke in the same heavy accent of his grandfather. “Prince Slytherin, it is an honor to meet you as well. I have heard much about you.”

“Oh is that so?” Vasilis asked.

“Yes, but that is a conversation for later. I believe introductions are in order.”

The Vampire Prince gestured to the dark haired girl next to him, who was wearing a stunning silver gown and said, “Prince Slytherin, please allow me to introduce my intended, Isabela Lazarescu.”

Vasilis smiled and took her hand gently to kiss her knuckles, “It is a pleasure to meet you Miss Lazarescu.”

She returned his smile and nodded, “And you Prince Slytherin.”

Acciai then gestured to his other side where a taller, strong looking blond haired boy, dressed in dark blue robes was standing.

“This is my good friend, and right hand, Vlad Marcovici.” Vasilis nodded politely, and looked to the final boy with light brown hair, and green robes who was standing slightly behind the group. “This is my third in command Darius Covaci,” Anakoni Acciai said. “He is the heir to the Covaci family.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you all,” Vasilis said. He then gestured to his own followers, “This here is Draco Malfoy, my cousin, my second in command, and heir to House Malfoy. And this is Felix Morris, my third in command and heir to House Morris.”

Alekos hissed in dissatisfaction when Vasilis failed to introduce him, so the young prince chuckled and added, “I almost forgot, this is my familiar Alekos.”

Prince Acciai smiled,

“He is a very handsome creature.”

Alekos seemed satisfied by the prince’s response, so he hissed contently and settled more comfortably around Vasilis’ neck.

“He enjoys flattery,” said Vasilis with a polite smile.

“Yes I can see that,” the Vampire Price replied. “Prince Slytherin, would you and your friends like a tour of the grounds?”

“That would be wonderful, thank you.”

Prince Acciai nodded and gestured towards a large set of doors from which the Vampires had entered several minutes earlier. Vasilis and Anakoni walked side by side through the grand palace, with Draco, Felix, Vlad, and Darius following closely behind. Isabela decided to stay behind and speak to her future mother in law.

Prince Acciai showed them several dueling chambers, studies, and potions labs. Vasilis was pleased to see so many windows, and lighter colors. He had truly been expecting a dark and ancient place. The palace was still ancient, but the dreariness that came with dark spaces was not present. It was truly a beautiful and comfortable setting, and it wasn’t hard to see why his father enjoyed it here.

After a long while the Vampire Prince stopped outside of two great wooden doors and turned to him.

“Prince Slytherin,” he said. “Please forgive me if I offend you in any way, but I am not fond of pleasantries and formalities, and I seek to avoid them at all costs. Since our parents are not here to scold us, perhaps we can stop pretending and just relax for once? If we are to be allies someday, I would like for us to be true friends, much like your father and my grandfather. They trust one another completely, and I want us to be able to trust one another as well.”

A smile slowly spread on Vasilis’ face, “Yes Prince Acciai, I would like that as well.”

“Anakoni, please,” insisted the prince.

“Then call me Vasilis.”

They gave each other honest smiles, before Anakoni turned to the door they were standing beside. “This door leads to one of my favorite places in the entire citadel. It is an expanded garden located in a courtyard at the very center of the Palace. All of the plants have been imported from a very special place in South America. Don’t worry, they won’t hurt you.”

Vasilis frowned a little in confusion, but stayed silent as Anakoni opened the doors.

When the dark wooden doors were swung outward, and the garden was revealed to him, he struggled to keep himself from gasping. He was slightly surprised to see that night had fallen during his conversation with the Vampire Prince, but that wasn’t what had captured his attention. What had left him in awe, were the hundreds of exotic plants glowing in the darkness. Greens, blues, and purples lit up their surroundings as they stepped outside onto the stone path. Vasilis moved to stand closer to a tree glowing a bright blue, the same color as sapphires. The leaves that were larger than his entire body reached out to him as he got closer, and remembering Anakoni’s reassurances before they entered the garden, he tentatively reached out to touch the closest leaf. As he laid his hand gently on the magnificent life form, it flashed an even brighter shade of blue. For a moment he was afraid he had injured the tree in some way, but he could feel the waves of contented magic rolling off of the tree, mingling with his own magic in a peaceful way,

“Beautiful,” Vasilis breathed, and it truly was.

Anakoni stepped up beside him with a small smile on his face. He reached out to touch another one of the leaves and said, “My grandfather was gifted most of these plants by another Vampire clan living in the Amazon rainforest. Since then, my family has tended to the garden, ensuring its survival.” He removed his hand after a moment, and turned to look Vasilis in the eye, “Many of the plants here are several hundred years old. It has become a sacred place for the Acciai family, and we usually don’t share it with outsiders. But… the Slytherin family has done more than enough to earn our trust.”

Vasilis was honored by the true gesture of trust Anakoni had just shown him. This was a place very few outsiders had ever seen, and he wasn’t going to take this opportunity for granted.

“Thank you,” he whispered sincerely. 

 

* * *

 

 

“Thank Merlin you are back Marvolo. I was beginning to worry that it would take you a century to return to us.”

The Dark Lord chuckled and sat down on the sofa next to Bella in the Vampire Lord’s office. “You had nothing to worry about Lysimachus, I managed.”

“I tried to find him you know,” began the Vampire Lord as he sat across from them. “Your son, I tried to find him and bring him back here where I could have kept him safe until your return. We searched for years, but there was never any sign. We figured Dumbledore placed very strong wards around him somewhere.”

Voldemort sighed deeply and raked his fingers through his hair. “Thank you Lysimachus, thank you for trying.”

“Were the papers true?” he asked. “Did the muggles truly treat him that way?”

“They did,” replied the Dark Lord with cold eyes. “And soon enough they will feel every ounce of pain they made him feel. I will make them wish they were dead."

“Good. They deserve no less. But besides your son’s past, he seems to have grown into a brilliant young man. He must get it from his father,” joked Lysimachus.

Bella laughed a little then, “You have no idea Lord Acciai. They are nearly identical in every way.”

“And how on earth do you handle two of them?” he asked with a laugh.

Bella sent the Dark Lord a little smile before saying, “Most of the time you just give them a new book they haven’t read before, and they will sit down and read for a few hours. Or you lock them in the dueling chamber and that tends to keep them occupied.”

Voldemort sent her a playful glare, and intertwined his fingers with hers as the Vampire Lord laughed.

“Ahh that doesn’t surprise me at all. During his time here, Marvolo spent hours and hours in the libraries. We had to actually remind him to eat and sleep occasionally because he would never leave.”

“Yes that sounds like him,” she sighed.

The Vampire Lord stood suddenly and murmured as he walked towards a door on the opposite side of his office,

“Ah, I almost forgot, I have something of yours Lord Voldemort.”

Voldemort watched curiously as his old mentor disappeared through the door. The remaining three waited in silence until the man returned several minutes later.

The Dark Lord couldn’t help but smile ever so slightly when he watched his familiar slither into the room behind Lord Acciai.

Nagini sprung towards him the second she saw him, and wrapped around him in a tight embrace. “ _Master_ ,” she hissed. “ _You have returned!_ ”

“ _I have Nagini. It is good to see you again my old friend, but perhaps you could stop squeezing me to death?_ ”

Nagini released her tight hold on him just a little, and he sighed with relief. “ _You have been here with the Vampires the whole time?_ ”

“ _Yesss,_ ” she hissed. “ _Vampire Lord found me while I was searching for your hatchling. Did you find him Master?_ ”

“ _Yess Nagini, he is here with me. Your hatchling found him and saved his life. Your hatchling is now my son’s bonded familiar._ ”

Nagini hissed happily, and settled across his and Bella’s laps to lounge for awhile.

Lord Voldemort looked towards the Vampire Lord with a grateful smile. “Thank you Lysimachus.”

“You are welcome Marvolo, it was the least I could do. Now... onto business I think. What are your plans for our future?”

“Before anything can be done internationally, I must control the United Kingdom. We should be prepared to begin the war next summer. We must wait until my numbers have grown, and until we have better control of the ministry from within. My son is also working to damage Dumbledore’s reputation. The war will take less time if the people no longer trust him.”

“And once you win?” asked the Vampire Lord.

“Then we shall begin making plans for our international invasions. We will stick to the same plan we created before my fall. We shall start in Western Europe and work our way East. My son and I plan to take a trip to America later in the summer. The Americans are known for their skills in war. With them on our side, our fight across Europe and Asia should be swift.”

Lysimachus nodded in agreement. “Yes, the Americans might be the tool we need to win. I am assuming you will be meeting with the Greys?”

“Yes,” said Voldemort. “They still hold their seats on the International Dark Council. They one agreed long ago to help us win the war here in Europe as long, as we helped them fight their way across the United States when the time came for the Dark to take over there. America has its own Dark Council, and I believe I will be meeting with them during my mission. I know the Carters and the Ashworth families were eager to meet with us when we arrive.”

“I see. Where will you be meeting them?”

“Castle Pines Colorado. They Greys have told me most of the leading American Dark families live there. They say it is more secluded, and allows them to work away from MACUSA’s watchful eyes.”

“I am assuming Adrian Grey will be the one incharge of the American forces?”

“Yes,” replied Voldemort. “He holds America’s seat on the Council, he is a good leader, and the Americans trust him, so he will lead the forces. After our trip to America, I would like to host a full meeting, most likely later this autumn. Most Dark families around the world have begun to prepare for war, but I believe it would best to begin planning together. The Light is not going to go down easily, so we must stay five steps ahead of them if we are to win.”

“I agree,” stated Lysimachus with a nod. “So most leaders are aware of your return then?”

“Yes. I wrote letters to each seat holder on the Council so they could begin preparations.”

“And what if some of those families can no longer be trusted?”

Voldemort smirked and tipped his head. “Come now Lysimachus, do you really think I would send out letters with such sensitive information without taking security measures? Each letter was charmed so only the seat holders could read them, and secrecy wards were also cast which prevent them from informing anyone of my return. Our mission will not be jeopardized by traitors. I have made sure of it."

 

* * *

 

 

Hours later, Vasilis was still walking through the gardens with the young Vampire Prince discussing everything from literature to politics. He found himself genuinely enjoying the Vampire’s company. They were both similar and many ways, and unlike his other friends, Anakoni was Vasilis’ equal. They understood the pressures involved with being an heir to powerful world leaders. They would both rule their own empires someday, a fact which both excited and terrified them. They understood one another, and Vasilis had no doubt that they would become powerful allies, and very good friends in the future

“Vasilis how about we sit down for a while?” asked Anakoni.

He nodded. “That sounds perfect.”

The Vampire Prince smiled and began to lead him on a different path to their left. He could hear running water in the distance, and found himself asking, “A waterfall? Exactly how big is this place?”

“Massive,” replied Anakoni with a smirk. “Like I said earlier, my grandfather magically expanded it. The garden would probably be much larger than the palace, and the palace grounds combined if he hadn’t used magic to conceal it within the palace courtyard.”

“I believe I am going to have to talk to my father about turning the Slytherin Castle center courtyard into something like this. It’s stunning. We have been walking around for hours, and I'm not even remotely sick of this place.”

Anakoni just laughed, and together they continued walking in the direction of the running water. It wasn’t long until they reached the source of the sound, and once again Vasilis found himself speechless. The waterfall was only about 15 feet tall, but the water itself was crystal clear, and glowing light blue.

“I really need to talk to my father,” murmured Vasilis.

Anakoni laughed again and said. “Perhaps I will help you start your own garden someday as a gift, but for now come have a seat.”

Anakoni and Vasilis sat side by side on one of the flat rocks that lined the river banks, while Draco and they others sat further aways from them. Draco and Felix seemed to be getting along well with Darius and Vlad. He was glad for this, because if there ever came a time when they needed to work together, it would be much easier if they got along well.

Anakoni studied the group for a moment before saying, “I hope you don’t mind, but it seems as if Vlad has recognized Felix as his mate. I must admit, it is highly unusual…”

Vasilis turned to look at the blond Vlad Marcovici in surprise, and saw the way he was looking at his equally blond friend. “What do you mean unusual?”

“Well, when a Vampire cannot help who they recognize as their mate. It is fate, you see. It is unusual because your friend Felix is a wizard. Normally vampires only mate with other vampires.”

“That seems unfortunate to me,” said Vasilis with a slight frown.

“Why?”

“Well Felix is mortal and Vlad is not.”

Anakoni smiled a little. “Felix can be turned into one of us if he wishes it, and if you allow it of course.”

“I thought you considered any Vampire that wasn’t True Born to be vermin? I thought you wanted all of them exterminated?”

“That is true,” said the Vampire Prince. “But there have been very rare cases where a vampire found out their mate was a mortal. Vampire mates are sacred, so my grandfather found a way to bond the mortal to the vampire and turn them into a True Born. It is a very classified, and complicated ritual, and it must be approved by my grandfather. We haven’t used the ritual in over a hundred years, but it looks as if we might be using it soon enough for our friends.”  

“Fascinating,” murmured Vasilis.

“What about you?” asked Anakoni.

“What do you mean?”

“Have you recognized your mate?”

Vasilis laughed and shook his head, “No. I've been rather busy planning and building a school. I don't have time for that sort of thing right now.”

“Ah yes,” said Anakoni. “I almost forgot to mention. My grandfather wishes for me to attend your Academy with some of my followers. He believes it would be a good opportunity to gain new allies and learn new magic. I admit, I was skeptical at first, but after meeting you I believe it would be a good idea.”

“I would be honored to have you attend my school,” said Vasilis truthfully. “But why would you want to attend a wizard school when you have the entire Citadel library at your disposal? And you have your grandfather? Wouldn't you learn more from him than you would ever learn in school?”

“Your father is a smart man Vasilis. He is the greatest wizard in the world, and I'm willing to bet he could teach you more than you would learn in school, but you are still planning to go. It's not just about the schooling, the social aspect is very important as well. I need allies, and besides, I think attending the Academy could be rather fun.”

Vasilis smiled a little. “I hope you are right. I'm just happy to get out of Hogwarts and away from Dumbledore.”

“Dumbledore,” Anakoni spat. “What a despicable man. My grandfather as been on this Earth for a very long time, but he has met very few people who hide their demons behind a fake face better than Dumbledore. The world seems to think he is the second coming of Merlin, when he is really the master manipulator.”

Vasilis just sighed and nodded. “Very true. Someday I swear I will kill him for everything he has done. Either I will do it, or my father will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked this chapter, I might add one more vampire chapter (new chapter 8) directly after this one. It is up to you guys if you want more. Thanks for reading!


	8. The Haze

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vampire chapter number two!!

**July 7th 1992, Vulcan Citadel, Romania**

 

Vasilis sat down on the sofa in his private suite and pulled out his father’s journal. Ever since the Dark Lord had gifted it to him for Yule, he tried to write in it as often as possible to keep his father’s younger self company, and to keep him updated on current affairs in the wizarding world. 

He picked up a black self inking quill and wrote, 

**_Hello_ **

**_Hello again. How is Romania?_ **

Vasilis smiled a little, thinking about his time spent with Anakoni the previous night. 

**_It is excellent. You truly made great allies with the True Vampires. I believe Prince Anakoni Acciai and myself will be close friends and allies going forward. He has even expressed his wish to attend the Academy in September._ **

**_Very good. You have done well._ **

Vasilis swelled with pride then. His father’s younger self rarely praised anyone, so being complimented by him was significant. 

**_Thank you, may I ask you something?_ **

**_I suppose so._ **

**_What is it like being in a journal? Do you ever wish you could leave?_ **

There was a very long pause before the young Tom Riddle replied,

**_Yes, I wish I could leave, but my existence in this form is necessary for my main soul piece’s survival._ **

**_Isn’t it lonely?_ **

**_Time passes differently in here. 50 years can feel like 5 days, so in reality life inside this journal isn’t awful. Besides, you keep me updated on life in the real world, so I am not completely alone._ **

Vasilis looked up from the journal when he heard a knock on the door. He quickly said goodbye to his younger father, and moved to open the door. 

Anakoni was standing there, and Vasilis smiled. “Good morning,” he said to his new friend. 

“Good morning. Did you sleep well?” 

“Yes very well, thank you.”

“Excellent. Would you like to join me for breakfast?” 

“Yes I would, I will be right with you.” 

Vasilis wrapped his high collared emerald green robe over his dress shirt, and told Alekos to go spend time with Nagini before turning back to the Vampire Prince. He nodded to signal he was ready, and followed his new friend from the room. 

A short while later, he found himself on a large open balcony overlooking the beautiful Citadel.  A table was already set for the two young leaders, containing two plates of delicious looking food. Anakoni motioned for Vasilis to sit across from him before sitting down himself. 

Vasilis eyed the food in front of his new friend and asked, “Vampires can eat normal food?” 

“Yes,” said the Vampire Prince. “But it holds no nutritional value for us. We mainly eat it for the flavor.”

“So blood is your only source of nutrition. Do you hunt? Or do you have servants collect the blood for you?” 

Anakoni took a sip out of a clear glass chalice which obviously contained blood. “It depends honestly. We enjoy the hunt, the thrill of the chase, but often times we do not have the time to spare. We hunt when we have the time, but when we don’t we have other measures in place. We have a team of Vampires called bloodrunners who collect fresh blood for the royal family. Other vampires get their blood from Vampire run blood donation centers. Have you heard of The Redcross?”

“Yes I have,” replied Vasilis. 

“Several Redcross blood donation centers are owned by my grandfather’s government. They provide for our people when there is no time to hunt.” 

The Slytherin Prince ate some of his food before asking, “And how do you hide your hunts from the muggles? Surely they would notice if their people went missing.” 

“It’s simple really,” said Anakoni. “We take only enough blood to leave the muggles slightly light headed, then we heal the puncture marks on their necks, and erase their memories of the event. They are left completely unaware of our existence.” 

“Fascinating,” breathed Vasilis. “Do you use spells to erase their memories?” 

“We can, but we generally use the Haze. It allows us to leave them confused, and unable to remember the feeding. It works sort of like a compulsion spell I suppose. However, it only works on muggles, not witches or wizards.” 

“I read something about bloodrage, is that really something Vampires suffer from?” 

Anakoni scoffed, “No. Only the Vermin Vampires experience bloodrage. It happens to them sometimes, although we are unsure why. It makes them insatiable for blood, and they sometimes kill dozens of muggles before they are stopped. True Vampires are able to control themselves, it’s not something we experience.” 

Vasilis nodded in understanding and turned back to his food. When he was nearly finished Anakoni said, “Perhaps… perhaps I could show you what it means to be a Vampire. Would you like to join me and my friends on a hunt tonight? If your father approves that is.” 

“That does sound interesting,” he said with an excited glint in his eye. “But you are right, I would have to ask my father first.” 

“After breakfast?” 

“Yes, I will speak with him and tell you what he says.” 

Twenty minutes later Vasilis was walking down a long corridor towards his parents suite. Before he could make it there, a voice spoke from behind him, 

“My Prince?” 

Vasilis turned and saw Felix standing there. His friend looked nervous standing there near the large window. He was wringing his hands in front of him, and his posture was odd. The Slytherin Prince approached his friend and asked, “What is it Felix?” 

His follower cleared his throat before speaking. “I… I wanted to ask you a question.” 

Vasilis raised an eyebrow, “Well, out with it then. I have to speak with the Dark Lord and Lady.” 

“I would like to ask your permission to court Vlad Marcovici,” Felix finally said with wide eyes. 

“Oh,” said Vasilis, pretending to act surprised. “Is that so?” 

“Y-yes My Prince. My magic is telling me it is the right thing to do.” 

The young prince finally smiled a little, causing his follower to relax slightly. “You have my permission Felix. I wish you luck in your relationship.” 

Felix grinned widely, something he didn’t often do. “Thank you Vasilis. Thank you.” 

“You are welcome. Now I must go, I will speak to you later.” 

With that he turned and continued on his way to his parents suite. The double doors opened after the second knock, revealing his father in black and silver robes. The man looked at him curiously before beckoning for him to come inside. 

“Good morning my son. How was your evening? I tried to find you, but one of the servants informed me that you spent quite a lot of time with the Vampire Prince.” 

“I did Father, he showed Felix, Draco, and I the gardens. We spoke for a long while. I think we are going to become good friends.” 

“Is that so?”

“Yes,” said Vasilis. “Is that acceptable Father?”

The man sat down on the sofa in the study and gave him a slight smile. “Of course it is. I want the two of you to become close. The Vampire Lord is my closest ally, so it is fitting that our heirs are close allies as well.”

The young prince let out a sigh of relief. “Where is mother?” 

“She is getting dressed for the day, she should be out shortly.” 

Vasilis nodded, and picked a book from one of the shelves before sitting down next to his father on the sofa. Both Dark wizards read silently for a long while, waiting for the Dark Lady to finish getting ready for the day. 

About 20 minutes later his mother emerged. She smiled when she saw him, and walked over to give his father a kiss on the cheek, and place a kiss on the top of Vasilis’ head, “How are you this morning darling?” 

“Excellent Mother,” he replied as she sat across from him. “I like it here. I especially love the garden. We should try to recreate the garden within the center courtyard of Slytherin Castle if we can.” 

Voldemort huffed a little, “Perhaps someday we will. It would require a lot of strong magic to do so, and I would much rather wait until after the war is over.” 

Vasilis nodded, and looked around their suite for his familiar. He didn’t see him, so he asked, “Where is Nagini and Alekos?” 

“Hunting,” replied the Dark Lady. “Nagini was rather vocal with her complaints, so your father kicked her out and told her not to come back until she had eaten.” 

He couldn’t help but laugh a little hearing that. It seemed that Alekos inherited some personality traits from his mother. The Dark Prince’s familiar had a habit of complaining about everything, whether it be the cold, or about not getting enough food. 

Vasilis waited until his mother had poured tea before asking about Anakoni’s offer. 

“Mother, Father,” he began. “Anakoni asked me to join him on a hunt this evening.”

His mother froze, but his father replied, “That will be fine Vasilis.” 

The Dark Lady frowned deeply. “Fine? What if something happens? What about Dumbledore’s men?” 

“They will be fine Bella. The Acciai family has a strong hold over this country, and Dumbledore doesn’t know we are here. There is nothing to worry about.”

“Maybe someone should go with them,” his mother suggested.

“No,” replied the Dark Lord. “The six of them will be more than capable of protecting one another, and it is important for Vasilis to learn to handle himself when he isn’t with us. If we were in Britain, I would never take that risk, but here in Romania it will be much safer for them. The only possible risk would come from the muggles, and I think our son can handle them just fine.” 

His mother still seemed nervous, but she trusted the Dark Lord’s judgement when it came to their son’s safety. The man was extremely protective of his family, and would never put them at risk. 

Vasilis smiled at both of his parents as he relaxed back into the sofa. “Thank you,” he said. “I will make sure to stay safe.” 

“Yes, please do. If anything goes wrong, come straight back here,” replied Voldemort. 

 

* * *

 

Later that evening after night had fallen, Vasilis found himself standing in the Palace entrance hall with Anakoni, Vlad, Darius, and his followers. They were each dressed in black trousers, black dress shirts, boots, and black wool coats. They had decided against wearing robes to blend in with the muggles during their hunt. The coats were an expensive muggle style which Vasilis disliked, but they allowed them to conceal their wands and weapons so he tolerated the muggle clothing. 

Anakoni was holding his golden pendant containing his family seal in his hand. He held it out to the group and explained, 

“This is a portkey, it will take us to the hunting grounds and bring us home afterwards. We are going to scout for prey from the rooftops. Once we find someone, we will run ahead of the target using the rooftops in order to give ourselves enough time to prepare in an empty alleyway. Vlad will then act as bait, and lure the target to us. Overall, it should be an easy hunt.”

Vasilis could feel excitement flowing through the group as they each took ahold of the pendant. They had been working nearly nonstop since they first stepped foot in Hogwarts which had left very little time for fun. He was looking forward to doing something that didn’t involve politics or studies. 

He was surprised his father was allowing this. He had honestly expected the Dark Lord to refuse his request, especially after the incident with Moody. Vasilis was happy to have a chance to prove he could handle himself in the real world, without his father standing by his side the entire time. If they had been in Britain, he would have been much more reluctant to leave the safety of his family, but Dumbledore didn’t have a hold in Romania like he did in his home country. 

Vasilis held tight as Anakoni murmured the portkey’s activation code, and a second later they were standing in an empty alleyway in the city of Brasov. The Vampire Prince opened a door on the side of a building and ushered them inside. 

He led up a stairwell them to the roof of the building, where they then sat on the ledge and waited. Vasilis looked around, and took in the glow of the ancient city before him. The architecture was old, and very beautiful despite being muggle built. Vasilis hated muggles, but even he had to admit they were capable of creating beautiful things occasionally. 

They were looking over a fairly busy street, the people walking about, enjoying the cool evening air. The people had no idea they were about to become a Vampire’s meal, and Vasilis found himself smirking at the thought. 

He observed the people for a little while longer before asking, “What exactly are we waiting for?” 

“Different people have different flavors,” said Anakoni with a casual shrug. “We tend to prefer those who are young and healthy. Those who have not taken any drugs, or had any alcohol to drink. Substances tend to ruin the taste.” 

The Vampire’s eyes held a predatory gleam as he looked over the crowds. It was obvious the young heir was experienced in matters such as this one, and knew exactly what he was looking for. Vasilis decided to trust his new friend, and waited for him to pick a target. 

It was a little while later when Anakoni pointed out someone walking down the street. “Him,” he said, and Vasilis looked to where he was gesturing. The man he had chosen looked to be about twenty years old, with dark brown hair and an athletic build. 

Anakoni stood quickly and said, “Follow me.” 

The Vampire Prince took off running across the rooftops, and Vasilis made sure to follow him closely behind. The moon was bright as they jumped across several rooftops, providing a natural light for them to see where they were going. 

Once they had gone a couple of blocks, Anakoni led them down another staircase into a dark alleyway. He turned to the group and said, “Alright everyone, blend into the shadows. Vlad, get ready, he should be here within two minutes.” 

Vasilis pressed his back flat against the stone wall behind him, and the others followed suit. He watched as Vlad glided towards the entrance of the alley and hid in the shadows. 

Just as the Vampire Prince predicted, the man appeared within two minutes. Vlad emerged from the shadows quickly and bumped into the man, knocking him slightly off balance, but not enough to fall.

Vlad began speaking quickly to the man, while waving his arms frantically. Vasilis looked to Anakoni and whispered, “What’s he saying?” 

“He is saying his mother was mugged in the alley, and that she needs help.” 

Vasilis smirked, and watched as the man frowned deeply, and followed Vlad without hesitation into the darkened space. After all, who would expect an eleven year old boy of setting a trap?

Within a few short seconds Vlad and the man had jogged out of view of the muggles walking on the street, and it was at that point when Anakoni and Darius jumped out and cornered him. The two vampires moved so quickly that the Dark Prince could barely see them, and he found himself envious of their incredible speed. 

Vlad and Darius pinned the man to the opposite wall as Anakoni unsheathed his fangs. Vasilis was fascinated by the sight. He had read about Vampire hunts during his studies, but this was the first time he had ever witnessed one in person. 

The Vampire Prince was quick to sink his fangs into the the man’s neck and drink his fill. Once finished, he took out his ancient looking wand and healed the wound. He then stared directly into the man’s eyes. which Vasilis saw cloud over from his position. 

“You never saw us here,” Anakoni told the dark haired man. “You were walking home when you heard something in the alleyway and decided to investigate. You found nothing, so you will continue on your way.” 

The cloudy eyed man said something in Romanian, causing Vlad and Darius to release him. The Vampires walked back over to them, while the man walked robotically towards the busy street. 

“Fascinating,” said Vasilis. “The Haze is a brilliant technique. Almost like obliviation without a wand.” 

Anakoni nodded in agreement as his fangs disappeared. “Yes, it is actually easier than obliviating the muggles after we feed. Now, Darius and Vlad still need to eat. Shall we head back to the rooftop?” 

Everyone nodded in agreement, and several minutes later they had taken up their observation post once again. 

They sat there for a long while, relaxing as they waited for another worthy muggle to pass by. But before they could continue the hunt, Draco spotted something. 

“My Prince,” he said. “Look over there, by the bar. Do you see her?” 

Vasilis looked to where Draco had pointed, and immediately spotted the person he had recognized. “Nymphadora Tonks,” he said. “Well Draco, it looks like our traitor cousin has decided to join the fun. Look around, make sure she is alone.” 

Vasilis couldn’t find anyone else around her, or in nearby facilities. He knew it would be best to return to the palace, but he also knew this was an opportunity to retrieve information. They needed to know how Dumbledore found them in Romania. He watched as his estranged cousin changed her features, giving herself blonde hair, and a round face. 

She began walking towards their location, which puzzled him even further. How did she know? 

The Dark Prince kept his eyes on her, but spoke to his friends and followers, 

“We need to capture her to gather information. We cannot let her escape, she is a security concern. We have to know how she found us.” 

Anakoni nodded to his followers. “We will capture her and bring her to you. We know how to move around this city unseen.” 

Before Vasilis could respond, the Vampires had disappeared from the rooftop, leaving them behind. He tried to watch for them in the crowd, but he didn’t see them. He lost sight of Nymphadora Tonks as well, a fact which worried him. 

Vasilis took out his wand, Draco and Felix copying his actions without hesitation. They moved to stand protectively on either side of him, eyes darting around, looking for threats. 

“What happens when they capture her?” Asked Felix. 

“I interrogate her.” 

“And what if she refuses to speak?” 

“She’ll speak,” Vasilis said. “I will make sure of it.” 

“Prince Slytherin,” a voice said from behind them, and Vasilis turned to see Darius standing there. “We have her. Anakoni has placed her in an abandoned apartment for you, if you would follow me.” 

The Dark Prince nodded, and followed Darius while Draco and Felix walked closely behind. Darius led them down the same flight of stairs they had used when they first arrived, and turned off into a dark hallway. He opened a rickedy wooden door on their left, and politely gestured for them to enter.

The sight which awaited them made Vasilis smirk. Nymphadora Tonks was kneeling in the center of the room with her hands tied behind her back, and wand snapped in half on the floor in front of her. She had reverted to her normal features, and was glaring at him where he stood. 

Anakoni was leaning casually against the opposite wall, and Vasilis sent him a grateful nod. “Thank you my friend for this gift. I owe you a favor in the future.” 

“No,” replied the Vampire Prince. “Please accept this as a token of our new friendship. No favor is necessary.” 

The Dark Prince smiled, and began circling Miss Tonks slowly,

“Well hello cousin. I admit, I did not expect to see you here. Are you alone?” 

“You don’t have to do this you know. You don’t have to be apart of the Dark side Vasilis. Dumbledore will protect you if you go to him…” 

Vasilis kicked her in the stomach before she could continue. “You will refer to me as Prince Slytherin, Miss Tonks. You haven’t earned the right to call me by my first name. Now, I am going to ask you again, are you alone?” 

She groaned as she recovered from the blow, but didn’t respond. Vasilis chuckled quietly, “Unfortunately for you Miss Tonks, I have very little time to spare this evening, so things are going to get rather painful rather quickly.” 

He turned to Draco and said, “Cast a silencing spell on the room, and be on the lookout for her friends.”  

Draco did as he asked, and Vasilis turned back to Nymphadora Tonks’ kneeling form. 

“ _ Crucio.”  _

She released an ear shattering scream and began to thrash in pain. He released it after a few short seconds and asked again, “Are you alone?” 

Again she said nothing, so Vasilis cast the spell again. This time, he held it longer, and she shouted, “I’m alone!” 

“Why are you here?” He asked as he released the curse. “Why are you here alone, and how did you find us?” 

She didn’t answer, instead choosing to glare up at him. Vasilis just sighed deeply, and cast the spell again. He held it for a full minute, watching her body twist in unnatural ways as the pain filled her every sense. 

When he released the curse she was a pale, trembling mess on the floor. “Okay,” she said weakly. “I’ll tell you.” 

“Well go on then,” he replied. 

“Dumbledore said you would be here. I wanted to find you, to try and talk some sense into you. He told me time wasn’t right for us to make our move, and ordered me to stay away, but I didn’t listen.” 

“So you came here against orders then. How did you find us?” 

“Tracking spell on Felix Morris. Dumbledore cast it before school let out.” 

Vasilis growled and turned to his follower. He cast a diagnostic spell to see what type of tracking spell he had used on his friend, and used the counter spell to disable it. 

Felix looked ashamed, “I’m sorry My Prince, I should have realized…”

“It isn’t your fault Felix,” he replied. “I don’t blame you for this. I blame Dumbledore.” 

“What is Dumbledore planning?” he asked as he turned back to Nymphadora Tonks. 

“I don’t know.” 

“ _ Crucio.  _ Tell me, or this will continue. _ ”  _

He released the spell, and waited for her to finish vomiting on the floor. “I don’t know,” she sobbed. “I truly don’t. Dumbledore isn’t telling us anything! We barely see him, and when we do he is distant towards us. It is almost like he is locked in his own world.”

Vasilis could see in her eyes that she was telling the truth, but decided to check her memories just incase. The Dark Lord disliked looking through memories because memories weren’t always reliable sources of information, but Vasilis knew his father would want all possible information. He pointed his wand at his cousin and murmured, “ _ Legilmins _ .” 

He searched her recent memories, the memories of Nymphadora disobeying Dumbledore and coming to Romania alone, then using the tracking spell to follow them in the city. He then reached further into her memories, looking for any meetings involving Dumbledore’s order. What he found supported Nymphadora’s claims. Dumbledore was present at these meetings, but he was always quiet. He never spoke, except to ask an occasional question, but otherwise seemed occupied by his thoughts. The meetings took place in what Vasilis recognized as Dumbledore’s Hogwarts office, and only a small group people were present. Nymphadora Tonks, Minerva McGonagall, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Alastor Moody, Mundungus Fletcher, Bill Weasley, Molly Weasley, Arthur Weasley, and Dark Order spy Severus Snape. 

They never discussed anything that Vasilis didn’t already know, and Severus never told Dumbledore more than the Dark Lord permitted him to tell. It seemed as if Dumbledore were keeping his cards close to his chest for the time being. 

Vasilis pulled out of his cousins mind quickly after finding no more useful information. He then pointed his wand at her and cast one final curse, “ _ Avada Kedavra.”  _

He saw the look of terror in her eyes as the bright flash of green overtook her, leaving her motionless on the floor. He then vanished her body, leaving nothing behind. Let Dumbledore wonder what happened to his loyal follower, he thought to himself. Let them be afraid of the Dark Prince. 

When Vasilis looked up from the place where Nymphadora Tonks had been seconds earlier, his followers and new allies were watching him curiously. He faced Anakoni and said, “My friend, I must speak with my father immediately. We must return to the Palace.”

“Of course,” said the Vampire Price as he removed his pendant and held it out to everyone. They all took hold, and closed their eyes as the spinning sensation surrounded them. Seconds later they found themselves standing in the entrance hall. Vasilis knew his parents were planning on dining with Lord and Lady Acciai on the balcony, so he immediately began walking in that direction. 

Several minutes later the group was stepping out onto the palace balcony where they were immediately noticed. The Dark Lord narrowed his eyes when he saw them, “What happened?” 

“Lord Acciai do you have a pensieve? There are memories I would like to show my father.” 

The Vampire Lord nodded, 

“Of course young one,” he pointed his wand at the open doorway, “ _ Accio Pensive _ .” 

The pensieve was floating in front of him a few minutes later, and Vasilis pointed the tip of his wand to his temple. His memory of the event was a silvery substance as he placed it gently inside the pensive, and backed away to make room for his father. 

The Dark Lord eyed him curiously before lowering his head into the liquid. 

He was immersed for about 20 minutes, and during that time Vasilis waited nervously. He didn’t know how his father would react to his actions, and he could only hope the man wasn’t too angry with him. 

When the Dark Lord emerged from the pensieve, he looked angry. Vasilis stood as still as a statue while his father looked him over. 

“You did the right thing My Son,” his father finally said, and he released the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “If you hadn’t captured her and learned of the tracking spell, who knows how that could have been used against us in the future. You took the safest course of action for the Dark Order. I am proud of you.”

“Thank you Father,” Vasilis breathed. “You’re not angry?” 

“Yes, but my anger is directed towards Dumbledore, not you,” he said. The Dark Lord then turned to Lord Acciai, “I’m afraid someone tracked my son during their hunt. Vasilis disposed of the enemy, but I believe it would be in everyone’s best interest if we leave tonight.”

Lord Acciai frowned and nodded in agreement, “Yes, that would be best. If Prince Slytherin killed one of Dumbledore’s followers, who knows how he will retaliate.” 

“He is currently in St. Mungos, but when he gets out he may attempt an attack,” affirmed Voldemort. “Vasilis, when we return home you must check all of your followers for tracking spells. Who knows how many he placed on them during their days at Hogwarts.” 

“Of course Father,” he replied. 

Lord and Lady Acciai stood from their seats, and held out their hands to the Dark Lord and Lady,

“We thank you for coming Marvolo. Please don’t be a stranger, we would love to have you back at a later time,” said the Vampire Lord. 

His mother and father both shook the Vampire’s hands, then the Vampire Lord turned to him. He held out his hand to Vasilis, and stared at him with piercing dark eyes and a small smile, “I am glad you have returned to your rightful place alongside your parents Prince Slytherin. Make sure you keep them in line. Your father is known for getting into trouble occasionally.” 

“Thank you for having us Lord Acciai, I will do my best,” he replied with a smile of his own.

The Vampire Lord nodded and moved to speak to the Dark Lord, so Vasilis turned to face his new friends. Anakoni was smiling at him when they made eye contact, 

“Thank you for coming Vasilis, don’t be afraid to write to us. I look forward to school with you in September.” 

“I promise I shall write. Thank you for having us, and I truly look forward to working with you more in the future.” Vasilis held out his hand for the young vampire to shake, “We will show the light who deserves to rule.” 

“Yes,” said Anakoni with a wide smirk. “Yes we will.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is always appreciated! Please feel free to leave respectful comments. Knowing my work is appreciated is the best motivation to write future chapters.


	9. Bombshell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I am sorry I have not posted in awhile. That is mostly because I am completely stuck on how to write chapter 7 (the trip to see the Vampires) I am still in the process of writing that, but I decided to give you guys the next chapter since I have kept you waiting for so long. This chapter I am posting right now is actually chapter 8, and I will let you guys know when I add the real chapter 7 to this fic. Thank you all for being so patient and I hope you enjoy this roller coaster ride of a chapter! Chapter 7 doesn't really relate to this chapter, so you are not really missing anything.

**July 30th 1992, Slytherin Castle**

 

Bella was pacing back and forth in her bedroom, both terrified and elated for what the future held.

The potion... the one she had taken all those years ago before her husband's fall had failed. It was suppose to last indefinitely, but the years in Azkaban, and the strong wards that surrounded the prison must have siphoned away the potions power that had been running through her veins.

She continued her pacing, wondering how her husband and son would react. This was such a critical time for the Dark Order, and they couldn’t afford any distractions. Besides that, Vasilis was fragile, and starved for affection. How would he handle this revelation? Would he be angry with her and her husband? Would he feel jealous? The Dark Lady didn’t know, and she was afraid to find out.

Bella spent the next half an hour staring out her bedroom window, waiting anxiously for Marvolo to return from his meeting with Severus.

Finally, after what felt like hours she heard the bedroom door open quietly. She spun around, looking somewhat startled, and received a worried look from her husband,

“What on earth is wrong Bella? You are white as a sheet.”

The Dark Lady didn’t answer, suddenly feeling as if her tongue had turned into lead. She just stared into his crimson eyes, and felt his growing anxiety through their bond. He approached her, and pulled her against him as he asked again,

“Bella what is wrong?”

She swallowed hard before whispering helplessly,

“I'm pregnant.”

He took a single step back and looked down at her with wide eyes.

“What do you mean you are pregnant?”

She sighed and said,

“The contraceptive potion must have worn off because of Azkaban. I'm pregnant Marvolo.”

He let out a shuddering breath before moving to sit down on the edge of their bed. He was quiet for such a long time that she begged,

“Please, _please,_ say something.”

He shrugged and replied,

“I do not know what to think. We are just finally getting back on our feet, and Vasilis needs all the attention we can give him.”

Bella sucked in a breath and her eyes began to burn,

“Should I terminate the pregnancy?”

Marvolo’s head snapped up at once, and his eyes filled with anger. He stood from the bed and walked back over to her quickly. He took her face in his hands and said,

“Absolutely not. This is our child, and we will love it just as much as we love Vasilis. We will make this work no matter what. I am just worried about how Vasilis will handle this. He was abused for years, and is desperate for our attention. I do not wish for him to feel like we are abandoning or replacing him.”

She nodded in agreement,

“That is what I am worried about as well. What should we do? How should we tell him?”

Her husband was silent for a long while before he replied,

“First, I believe we should have a healer examine you and the baby to make sure you are both healthy. Afterwards we can figure out how to tell Vasilis.”

“When should I see a healer?”

He didn’t even hesitate with his response.

“Today. I am not taking any risks with my family.”

Bella smiled a little at his protectiveness, and pulled his face down so she could kiss him. Marvolo pulled her tightly against him and melted into the gentle kiss with a sigh. When he pulled away he spoke quietly,

“We will be moving to the Villa as soon as possible. I will place it under the fidelius charm to make it impossible for anyone to find us. Even after our child is born we will be staying there, at least until we are not under threat. We will not be making the same mistakes we made after Vasilis was born.”

She placed a kiss on his jaw and reassured him,

“Everything will be okay. We will make this work.”

He gave her a smile and said,

“Yes. Yes everything will work out. This will be wonderful. Now wait here while I retrieve Healer Andrews. Vasilis is in the dueling chambers so he shouldn’t see me bring him in. If by chance he sees us, I will just tell him you are having a checkup to make sure you have recovered from Azkaban.”

Bella nodded and released her hold from him so he could leave. She watched as he opened their bedroom door, and flashed her one last smile before closing it behind him.

Once he had gone, she placed a hand on her lower abdomen and smiled to herself. They were going to have another child. The Slytherin family was about to expand, and hopefully they would be happier because of it.

Bella changed out of her elegant emerald dress into leggings and a white button up blouse to make it easier for the healer to examine her, and not long after she had finished changing she heard the door open again. Marvolo walked in followed by Healer Andrews, the only healer they trusted to treat her or any other member of their family. Healer Andrews had been the one to heal her after being tortured by Moody, and he had also delivered Vasilis almost 12 years ago.

The man bowed to her after stepping through the threshold and said,

“Congratulations My Lady. What a marvelous time this is for the Dark Order.”

She nodded in acknowledgement and replied,

“It is indeed Healer Andrews. Thank you. Shall we begin?”

“Of course, of course. Might I suggest you lay down on the bed?”

Bella nodded again and moved to lay down on the side of the bed. Marvolo sent her a smile and stood near her in a protective manner. She stifled a smile seeing this, knowing better than to comment on it.

Healer Andrews set his medical bag down on the end of the bed and moved to stand next to her,

“My Lady, to begin I would like to cast several diagnostic and monitoring spells to examine both you and the child if that is alright?”

“Of course.”

Healer Andrews took out his wand from his robes, and waved it over her lower abdomen in complex patterns for several minutes. Marvolo watched him cautiously as he worked, not willing to trust the man with her life, even after many years of loyal service. The healer seemed to notice the Dark Lord’s hovering, but he ignored it and made sure to concentrate on the task at hand.  

When the man was finished he took a step back and smiled,

“I have excellent news. My Lady, you are about five weeks pregnant, and both you, and your children are in perfect health.”

Both the Dark Lord and Lady froze hearing that statement. Marvolo’s eyes widened and he asked,

“You said children?”

The healer nodded and smiled,

“Yes My Lord. Your wife is pregnant with twins. Congratulations.”

Marvolo kept his face emotionless, but Bella could feel a whirlwind of emotions from him through their bond. He was both elated and terrified by this news. Several weeks prior to Vasilis’ kidnapping, they had discussed the possibility of having another child. At the time they had decided to wait until Vasilis was a few years old, but then everything changed after Dumbledore took him from them. All thoughts of expanding their family even further had vanished from their minds at the loss of their firstborn son.

Now things were different. Marvolo had grown up without a family. He had been alone his entire life up until they had begun their relationship, and he had expressed his desire to have a larger family soon after Vasilis had been born. Now they were all reunited, and Marvolo’s dream of having more children was going to come true.

However, even though he felt excited, she could tell he was nervous. Twin pregnancies involved more risks, and he was worried complications would arise during her pregnancy. Bella watched as he swallowed hard and asked,

“Healer Andrews, what does this mean for future appointments? I refuse to take any risks when it comes to the lives of my wife and children. I insist that every measure available is taken to protect them.”

The Dark Lord gave the healer a menacing look to ensure the man understood the seriousness of the situation, but the healer ignored this look and replied easily,

“Of course My Lord. I promise you that your wife will receive all of the best treatment to ensure her good health. Since she is having twins, she will need to have frequent appointments.”

The healer hesitated slightly then, seemingly becoming nervous as he continued,

“I, I also understand that the coming war will be a rather stressful time for the Dark Order. Stress could be detrimental to the pregnancy, so I would recommend that she stay completely uninvolved until the children are born.”

Bellatrix felt a spike of displeasure flow through her hearing this. Even when she had been pregnant with Vasilis, she has still been partially involved with the war, advising her husband whenever necessary. She was about to express her feelings, but before she could say anything the Dark Lord nodded,

“Of course. We will stay in a different residence for the remainder of her pregnancy to distance our private lives from the war. I will be contacting you at a later time to discuss future appointments. Unless there is anything else, you may go.”

Healer Andrews nodded and removed several potions vials from his bag. He bowed as he handed them to Marvolo and said,

“My Lord, I recommend that the Dark Lady takes these nutritional potions every morning and evening to ensure the children are properly nourished.”

Marvolo took the potions from the man and called for Warpy,

“Warpy, show Healer Andrews out.”

The house elf nodded and beckoned for the healer to follow. Once the healer was gone, Bella sat up and said,

“I do not wish to stay out of the war. I was involved with planning while I was pregnant with Vasilis, and I will be fine if I am involved now.”

Marvolo turned to her with a very angry expression on his face and replied,

“You will not be involved. You are carrying our children, and I will not put their health at risk just because you wish to make plans. I am the Dark Lord, and my word is final.”

Bella was taken aback by his sharp words. They had long ago cast aside any shows of rank in their relationship, so to hear him speak in such a way was shocking.

Her shock must have been apparent on her face, because the anger instantly disappeared from his own, and he approached her.  

“I am sorry Bella. I shouldn’t have spoken to you that way. I am worried for you and our children. So much has happened… I cannot allow anything else to happen to our family. Please tell me you will stay out of the war until they are born? We have to protect our children Bella.”

The Dark Lady stared into his pleading eyes for a long while before finally relenting,

“Okay… I will stay out of the war.”

He gave her a smile that took her breath away, and kneeled on the floor in front of where she was sitting on the bed. He took her hands in his own, and kissed them before saying,

“Twins. We are having twins. I have to admit, this was the last thing I had expected to hear after returning from my meeting today.”

Bella bent to kiss his forehead and laughed a little,

“That makes two of us. I love you.”

He kissed her knuckles and whispered,

“I love you too. More than you will ever know.”

She placed a hand on his jaw, and ran her fingers across the scruff there as she asked,

“Now… How do we tell Vasilis, and when do we tell him? His birthday party is tomorrow. Should we wait?”

The Dark Lord was quiet for a long while before he replied,

“No. I think we should tell him today. If we expect him to be open with us and not keep secrets, then we have to do the same. I believe he would become more angry if we kept this from him. Besides that, you are going to start showing soon. He is a smart boy Bella. He will surely figure it out on his own eventually.”

Bella nodded in agreement and asked,

“Should we tell him now?”

Marvolo sighed and stood from his kneeling position,

“Yes. We might as well get this over with. Let us only hope he takes it well.”

He held out his hand to her, and she took it gently.

 

* * *

 

Vasilis lowered his wand from where it was pointed at the dueling dummy when he heard someone enter the room. He turned to see both of his parents standing behind him with somewhat worried expressions on their faces. He found this to be very odd so he asked,

“Mother, Father, what is wrong?”

The Dark Lord cleared his throat a little and said,

“Vasilis we need to talk. Let us move into one of the parlours.”

The young prince frowned deeply as fear ran through him. He didn’t know what could possibly be wrong.

He followed his parents from the dueling chamber, and together they walked down the corridor to one of the castle's many parlours. His mother and father sat down side by side on one of the sofas, while he sat down across from them. He gave them a curious look and asked,

“What is this about? Is everything alright?”

His father shifted a little in his seat, which Vasilis found very alarming. The Dark Lord never showed signs of nervousness. Ever. He was as steady and controlled always, so to see him display his unease was completely unnerving.

Voldemort sighed deeply and began,

“Vasilis, you know your mother and I love you. We would never ever abandon you.”

The man hesitated for a second before continuing,

“Your mother and I have recently been given some news. It is good news, but we are worried how you will handle it. Please understand that we are not replacing you, and we will continue to love you just as much as we always have. Your mother… your mother is pregnant. With twins, actually.”

Vasilis’ eyes widened comically, and he sat there for the next few minutes trying to process this information.

The last thing he had ever expected to hear was that his mother was pregnant. The idea was completely foreign to him, but still… he didn’t dislike the prospect of having siblings. His family was the most important part of his life, and the idea of his family expanding was slightly exciting. What would it be like to have two younger brothers, two younger sisters, or one of each? Would they look up to him and admire him? Would they annoy him? He didn’t know, but he was somewhat curious to find out.

He could tell his parents were worried he would feel abandoned, but he didn’t. He knew his parents would move mountains for him, and he doubted there was anything on earth that could weaken the strong relationship he had with his father.

They were both watching him cautiously, so he sent them a small smile to ease their worries and said,

“I am very surprised, but I am not upset. I love our family more than anything, so the idea of our family getting bigger is exciting. I am excited. I know you both love me, and I know you are not trying to replace me, so you do not have to worry.”

Both the Dark Lord and Lady visibly relaxed hearing this. Vasilis stood up and approached them. He wrapped an arm around each of them and pulled them into a hug as he whispered,

“I love you both. I am excited to have siblings.”

His mother and father returned his hug happily, and they stayed like that in content silence for a few moments.

Vasilis pulled back then and asked in a worried tone,

“Father what if something happens again? What if Dumbledore tries something?”

Voldemort shook his head and replied,

“Nothing is going to happen. Tomorrow after your birthday party the three of us will be moving to the Villa in Italy. I will be placing the Villa under the fidelius charm to protect us. You will be the secret keeper, and no one will be able to find us because of it. We will be safe there. I will portkey back here to Slytherin Castle whenever I need to work.”

He nodded, immediately liking that idea.

“Father we have another trip planned soon, to America. We cannot leave Mother alone for a whole week.”

The Dark Lord seemed to ponder this for a moment, but they both looked towards the Dark Lady when she laughed,

“My boys, you are overprotective. It is only one week, I will be fine.”

Voldemort and Vasilis sent her identical looks of disapproval, before turning back to one another. The Dark Lord seemed rather distressed as he shook his head,

“No, I cannot leave. I am going to cancel the trip. I refuse to leave you alone for that long.”

Bellatrix frowned and said,

“You must go. It is important that we establish our ties with America. Besides the Vampires, they are our strongest allies. We need them.”

Voldemort looked like he was about to disagree, so Vasilis cut in.

“Father, she is right. We need them. We have to go. What if we have someone stay with Mother while we are gone? Someone like Narcissa? Or Rodolphus?”

The Dark Lord didn’t seem to fully support this idea, but he understood the importance of their trip to America. Eventually he nodded and said,

“I will write to both Narcissa and Rodolphus. They will both stay with you while we are gone. I refuse to allow you to be alone for that long Bella.”

The Dark Lady seemed to understand that she wasn’t going to be able to talk her way out of this one, so she sighed and leaned back in her seat.

Vasilis looked back towards his father when he felt a hand on his arm,

“Are you sure you are alright Vasilis?”

The young prince gave him a sincere smile and promised,

“Yes I am alright Father. I think it could be fun to have siblings.”

The older man returned his smile and nodded. Vasilis then raised an eyebrow and asked,

“Are we going to keep this a secret from everyone?”

Voldemort shook his head and replied,

“No. We attempted to keep you a secret, and it didn’t work for very long. Once your mother is hidden away, my followers will begin to wonder where she has gone. It will not take long for the rumours to circulate. Besides that, I want Dumbledore to know we are not afraid of him. We will be safe in Italy under the fidelius charm. He won’t be able to reach us, especially if you are the secret keeper. I believe I will make the announcement tomorrow during your birthday celebration.”

 

* * *

 

**July 31st 1992, Slytherin Castle**

 

“Happy birthday Vasilis.”

Vasilis smiled at his parents who were waiting for him in breakfast room.

“Thank you both.”

His mother and father stood from their chairs and each pulled him into a hug as he neared them. As his mother was hugging him she whispered,

“Darling you are growing up much too fast.”

Vasilis just gave her a smile as he pulled away and sat down in his chair to the right of his father’s. The family ate in content silence for few moments before Voldemort said,

“Vasilis, we have a gift for you.”

The man took a small leather journal out of the pocket of his robes and handed it to him. Vasilis looked over the cover curiously, not finding anything out of the ordinary with it. He then opened the front cover, and inhaled a sharp breath.  

Sketched onto the first page of the book was a detailed version of his Dark Mark. A menacing looking black snake coiled around a black wand. Many runes surrounded the mark, and  underneath the sketch was the beginning of a long incantation. Vasilis read through the words which filled the first two pages, before looking up at his parents,

“Instructions on how to give my followers a real mark… Thank you. This is the last thing I would have expected.”  

They each gave him a smile, and his father said,

“I marked my first followers when I was 16 years old. I do not expect you to mark your’s now because you are still rather young. But when you are ready, you will know what to do.”

Vasilis nodded and carefully placed the journal in his robes. As they all returned to eating he asked,

“What time will the guests be arriving?”

His mother took a sip of her tea before she replied,

“They will begin arriving around four this evening. Are all of your belongings packed? We will be leaving immediately after the party ends.”

Vasilis nodded,

“Yes Mother, I had the elves pack all of my belongings. I believe they have already been taken to the Villa except for my dress robes for tonight.”

“Good. We do not want to stay here any longer than necessary.”

“I understand Mother. What is the Villa like?”

The Dark Lady smiled to herself a little and said,

“It is very beautiful. Located right along the Amalfi Coast in Southern Italy. It isn’t nearly as large as Slytherin Castle, or Slytherin Manor in Siberia, but the stunning views, and comforting atmosphere of the Villa more than make up for it.”

Vasilis smiled as he thought about it. He had not yet seen the Villa, and he was excited to spend time there. There was also the added bonus that his parents would be closer to him once he started school. He could probably even visit them regularly. As the founder of the school and son of the Dark Lord, rules didn’t apply to him, and he wanted to see his family as often as possible.

“I can’t wait to see it Mother.”

 

* * *

 

Hours later, Vasilis was standing in front of his full length bedroom mirror straightening his bow tie. He was wearing a high collared, open, crimson outer robe with silver grape vines embroidered into the fabric. Along with a black waistcoat with silver stitching, black trousers, a black dress shirt, and black dress shoes.

Vasilis knew his parents were both wearing similar colors, to show unity as a family. He picked Alekos off of his bed and laid him across his shoulders. He huffed out a breath and hissed,

_“You are growing rather heavy my friend.”_

Alekos moved into a more comfortable position by wrapping his lower body around the Dark Prince’s waist, and replied,

_“I grow as your powers grow Master. You have become much more powerful in the past few months.”_

Vasilis found this to be interesting, so he asked,

_“Is it easy to tell I have become more powerful? Can you feel it?”_

_“Yess Master. Others are noticing it as well. Watch how they avoid you when you walk near them. It scares them.”_

Vasilis laughed a little and said,

_“My Father is much more powerful. They are more scared of him than they are of me.”_

_“Yes, I doubt there will ever be someone capable of beating him.”_

The young prince nodded in agreement and turned to leave the room. He walked quickly through the corridors of the castle, and only stopped once he saw his parents standing near the doors which lead into the gardens and courtyard. The Dark Lord was smiling at his wife with a loving expression on his face. The man placed a hand on her lower abdomen and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. Vasilis smiled seeing this. He was glad his parents were happy, and he was even more excited to meet his siblings someday. He knew many other children in his position would have been upset, but he couldn’t find it in himself to be jealous. His parents had proved over and over that they would do whatever it took to protect him.

Vasilis walked towards his parents then, and they smiled when they saw him. The Dark Lord raised an eyebrow and said,

“The guests have all arrived. Are you ready?”

The young prince nodded, and moved to stand on his father’s right side. The three of them cleared their faces of emotion, and the doors swung open. They stepped outside onto the raised steps, immediately silencing the large crowd gathered in the courtyard. The Dark Order members each bowed respectfully, and waited for their leader to speak.

Voldemort looked over the followers before saying,

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your presence this evening. As you know, we are gathered here tonight to celebrate my son, and heir’s birthday.”

The Dark Lord paused for a moment as a small round of applause rippled through the crowd. Once it was silenced, he continued,

“Vasilis has grown into a fine young man over the years. He is intelligent, and capable of handling anything the world could throw at him. He has proven, time, and time again his loyalty and dedication to our cause. He is exactly what the wizarding world needs, and I am proud to call him my son.”

Vasilis’ father turned to him then and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I couldn’t be more proud of you Vasilis. Happy birthday.”

The young prince couldn’t help the small smile that appeared on his face after hearing his father’s sincere words. The man’s praise meant more to him than anything else in the world.

“Thank you Father.”

Voldemort nodded, and turned back to face the crowd.

“This evening is one of celebration for another reason. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to inform you tonight the Dark Family will soon have two additional members. My wife, your Lady, is currently carrying my children. Twins, who will soon join us in the coming months.”

Vasilis instantly felt the spark of excitement that traveled through the crowd. Every member of the Dark Order smiled, and clapped enthusiastically. He caught a glimpse of his closest followers who were looking at his mother in shock. They looked to him not long after with worry written on their faces, so he sent them a smile to reassure them he was happy. They smiled back at him, seemingly very relieved to know he wasn’t upset with this development.

The Dark Lord spoke a few more words about success in the upcoming war, before wishing everyone a good evening, and dismissing them.

A line of people looking to speak to Vasilis and his parents immediately formed, and they were forced for the next two hours to listen to meaningless simpering. Vasilis found it all rather tedious, and he was rather glad when a waltz began to play. The line dispersed as people moved to go dance, finally giving the Dark Family room to breathe.

Vasilis laughed as his father bowed to his mother and held out his hand,

“My Lady, will you grant me the honor of this dance?”

His mother blushed a little and nodded as she took his hand, “Of course My Lord, how could I refuse.”

Voldemort sent Vasilis a wink as he pulled the Dark Lady towards the dance floor, leaving him standing there with a smile on his face. The young prince couldn’t help but hope he had a similar relationship with his spouse someday.

“My Prince happy birthday!”

Vasilis turned to his right as Draco, Felix, Cygnus, Daphne, and the Weasley twins came bounding elegantly up the steps towards him. Draco was the first to speak once they had reached him.

“Vasilis, you are going to be a brother! I can’t believe it! How does it feel?”

The Dark Prince smiled a little and shrugged,

“I admit it was very surprising when I first found out. I wasn’t at all expecting it, but I am excited. How do you think Dumbledore will feel about two more Slytherins coming into the world?”

“He will probably have a brain aneurysm." Felix said with a snort. "I can only imagine all of the trouble they will get into. Especially if they are exposed to the red headed twin devils over here.”

Fred and George feigned innocence and declared,

“Why our dear friend Felix, how could you ever say such a thing? We are perfectly innocent angels. We never get into trouble.”

Vasilis chuckled and said,

“Merlin help us if they are anything like you two.”

Everyone laughed and began conversing about start of school in September. Vasilis spoke with them for the next twenty minutes, before he spotted his mother having a conversation with his father. He politely excused himself from the conversation, and walked across the courtyard towards them.

Once he reached them, he held out his hand and asked,

“Mother, may I have this dance.”

“Of course my son," she replied with a loving smile.

Vasilis smiled back at her and lead her out onto the dance floor. They began gracefully dancing a slow waltz when the Dark Prince saw another one of his followers standing near the drinks table.

Blaise Zabini.

Oddly, he found himself admiring the way Blaise looked in his black dress robes. A slight blush worked its way onto his face then, because such thoughts had never before crossed his mind.

The Dark Lady followed where he was looking, and smiled when she noticed the blush on his face. This caused him to blush more fiercely out of embarrassment. His mother squeezed his shoulder and suggested,

“Vasilis why don’t you ask him to dance?”

The young prince shook his head and whispered,

“I do not like to be touched Mother. Both you and Father are allowed to touch me because it does not bother me then. Everyone else makes me cringe.”

She gave him a smile and replied, “Yes I know. But it does not bother you if someone touches your hands, correct? I have watched you shake hands with ease before.”

He nodded slowly and listened to her continue,

“The only parts of you he would touch is your hand and shoulder. You are in control of the situation. Tell him he is not to move his hand under any circumstances. He will obey you, so you have nothing to fear from him.”

Vasilis nodded again and considered this. Blaise had touched him before without upsetting him. Would it be so terrible if they were to dance?

No. He decided it wouldn’t be terrible if they were to dance.

He took a deep breath and said, “Okay, I will ask him.”

The Dark Lady sent him a reassuring smile, and stepped back as the dance ended. They bowed to one another, 

“You will be fine darling," she whispered. "You are the Dark Prince.”

She then turned, and walked back over to the Dark Lord who was standing alone near the edge of the dance floor. Vasilis looked towards the drinks table and noticed Blaise was still standing there, so he walked towards him.

 

* * *

 

“Blaise.”

The well dressed wizard turned when he heard his name. To his surprise, his prince was standing there next to him, looking thoroughly regal in his crimson dress robes. The red color of his robes made his cold crimson eyes practically glow with magic, and it made him a rather handsome and intimidating sight.

Blaise swallowed hard and said,

“Happy birthday Vasilis, and congratulations on the growth of your family.”

The Dark Prince’s lips turned upwards just slightly and he said,

“Thank you. It is an exciting time for us.”

Vasilis paused for a moment, before holding out his hand and saying

“Blaise… would you do me the honor of a dance?”

The Zabini heir’s eyes widened a little, but he found himself nodding and taking his Prince’s hand despite his surprise. Vasilis lead him out onto the dance floor, and whispered,

“I must ask that you place your hand on my shoulder and do not move it.”

Blaise nodded in understanding. Vasilis didn’t like to be touched, and he understood that.

He placed his hand carefully onto his shoulder, and placed his other hand within the other boy’s outstretched one. Vasilis’ other hand automatically went to the center of his back, and together they began moving elegantly to the music.

The Dark Prince’s face was void of all emotion while they danced, but Blaise could see an intensity in his eyes that captivated him. Vasilis was constantly thinking, constantly planning, and it always showed in his eyes.

Blaise couldn’t help but wonder why his leader wanted to dance with him. He hadn’t said anything, so he knew the prince wasn’t trying to manipulate him. He considered the possibility that Vasilis was just trying to cement his loyalty, but no… there was no need for that. Blaise was already loyal to the very marrow of his bones, so why was he doing this?

They continued dancing in silence until the song ended. Blaise then removed his hand carefully from Vasilis’ shoulder, and stepped back to give the his leader space. Vasilis seemed to appreciate this, and he bowed slightly to Blaise as he said,

“You look very handsome this evening Blaise. Thank you for the dance.”

The Zabini heir swallowed hard and returned the bow,

“As do you My Prince. Thank you.”

Vasilis nodded curtly before turning to walk away, leaving a very confused Blaise behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! Remember this is actually chapter 8, and I will post the real chapter 7 as soon as possible! I hope you enjoyed this!


	10. Death of Weakness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think a lot of you have been waiting for this chapter, so I hope you enjoy! I started a different fic that isn't part of this series. It is a modern day Tomione fic, so feel free to read it if you want!
> 
> Warning: Violence and cruelty ahead!!!!

**July 31st 1992, Slytherin Castle**

 

_“Scutum Tenebris… Scutum Deflectere… Caecus Evanescet… Suctum Occulto...”_

Vasilis watched in awe as his father added additional wards to Slytherin Castle and the surrounding land. Pulses of white light left the Dark Lord’s yew wand and soared high into the night sky, forming a semi transparent dome around the entire property. What would have taken a team of 15 powerful witches and wizards to do, Voldemort was able to do alone. The Dark Lord’s immense power was never ending, and difficult for the young prince to comprehend.

His birthday party had ended about a half an hour earlier, and all guests were now gone. Voldemort had decided just before they were to leave he wanted to place more wards around the castle. They may not be living in Slytherin Castle for the next year or so, but it was still being used as their base of operations, and they did not want to take any risks with Dumbledore. The man would surely be released from St. Mungos soon, and he would want to make a move against them as soon as he was able. Severus had informed them during the party a few hours earlier Dumbledore was gathering new members for the Order of the Phoenix, and his forces would soon be strong enough to attempt to breach the castle for information. The Dark Lord was not about to allow that to happen, which was why he was adding to the wards. It would take a man even as powerful as Dumbledore years to break through the complex wards. Voldemort had been adding to them since his return and had weaved them in detailed patterns, making it so that if one tried to break them, the wards would only become more twisted and difficult to undo.

Lestrange Castle had also been placed under many protective enchantments, including the fidelus charm with Rodolphus as the secret keeper. The Castle was serving as a hospital, a refuge for all rescued Azkaban prisoners, and a prison for the Dark Order’s enemies. It was important the Castle was hidden Dumbledore and his Light followers. If either Slytherin or Lestrange Castle were found, it would be detrimental to the Dark Order’s efforts.

After a long while, the Dark Lord stopped murmuring spells and lowered his wand. Vasilis marveled at the fact that his father didn’t even look slightly tired from casting such difficult magic. Most would have collapsed from the effort needed to construct the wards, but Voldemort just rolled his right shoulder and placed his wand back in the holster Vasilis had given him for Yule.

The man looked over to the Dark Lady and Prince with a raised eyebrow, “Shall we go?”

Both Vasilis and his mother nodded as Voldemort approached them. The Dark Lord reached into his pocket and pulled out a golden galleon which each of them grabbed ahold of. His father sent them both an unreadable look before saying,

“Villa Smeralda.”

Vasilis closed his eyes as he felt the familiar spinning sensation of the portkey transport them to Italy. The sensation lasted a great while longer than it normally did, due to the fact that they were traveling a great distance. He only opened his eyes once he felt the spinning end, and smiled at the sight that met him. They were standing to the left of a large sandstone villa, which was situated on a cliff that overlooked the dark blue sea. The smell of the water, and the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks below them filled his senses, and relaxed him. He understood immediately why his mother loved it here so much.

Vasilis turned to his father who had wrapped an arm around his mother’s waist, and listened to him say, “There are eight bedrooms, nine bathrooms, kitchens, a dining room, a library, two parlours, four private offices, a dueling chamber, a potions lab, and a greenhouse. It isn’t nearly as large as Slytherin Castle, but it is very comfortable. What do you think?”

Vasilis sent his father a smile and said honestly, “I think it is beautiful Father. Shall we go inside?”

The Dark Lord shook his head and replied,

“No, first I want to place it under the fidelus. We are not taking any risks. Now… this is going to be very exhausting for me, and for you. The fidelus requires a massive amount of power, much more than the wards I placed on Slytherin Castle a little while ago. It is soul magic, which means the spell is going to weave into your soul since you are the secret keeper. You will feel tired as I cast the spell because it requires some of your energy. Once the spell is complete, you must come up with the secret in your mind, and then share it with your mother and I. No one will ever be able to force the secret from you. It must be willingly given. Do you understand?”

Vasilis nodded and braced himself for his father to begin.

The Dark Lord pulled out his wand and pointed it in his direction. The man began muttering quietly in latin, and Vasilis immediately gasped in shock. His father’s power was nearly overwhelming as it struck him and began intertwining with his soul. It spread through his entire body like a furiously burning wildfire, and Vasilis couldn’t help but fall to his knees.

This strong connection continued for a few minutes, until Voldemort finished the incantation. Once it was released, Vasilis gasped for breath, feeling slightly glad it was over. Normally the Dark Lord’s magic was a comfort to him, a heavy blanket that surrounded him protectively, but that was beyond anything he had ever imagined possible.

As the young prince was pulling himself back up to his feet, he felt a tug in his mind. It was as if something were missing, and he had to find it. Then he remembered he had to name the secret.

He looked over to where the Villa had been, and noticed it was completely gone. It was as if nothing had ever existed there in the first place. Vasilis pointed his wand in the general direction of where the Villa had been, and said within his mind,

**_Villa Smeralda is in Italy._ **

He felt something pinch within his chest then, and knew the spell had been completed. This feeling was confirmed when the Villa began materializing in front of him a moment later.

Vasilis looked back over to his parents and saw that his father was bent over a little panting for breath. Apparently all of the wards he had placed on Slytherin Castle, as well as the Fidelus charm had put a dent in his magical energy.

Both of his parents looked somewhat confused, as if they didn’t know where they were. Vasilis knew this was because of the charm, so he walked over to them and cast a silencing spell around them. He didn’t want to take any risks of anyone nearby hearing the secret.

“The secret is, Villa Smeralda is in Italy,” he told them.

They each looked behind him in the direction of the Villa looking much less confused than before. After taking another minute to recover, Voldemort was able to stand tall again, looking as if he had never even exhausted himself in the first place. Vasilis shook his head and asked, “How do you manage to cast such difficult magic without even being tired for that long?”

The Dark Lord gave him a smirk, “I am a powerful wizard my son, which means it doesn’t take long for my magical stores to recover. I wasn’t declared a Dark Lord for nothing.”

Vasilis rolled his eyes a little and laughed. “Can we go inside now?”

“Go on,” replied his mother. “Just make sure you tell Warpy the secret tonight so he can enter the Villa.”

The young prince nodded in agreement and turned to walk towards his new home for the foreseeable future. He walked slowly up the sandstone steps which lead to a large veranda, before turning around to take in the view. He smiled then, unable to help himself. The sight of the moonlight glinting off the water was a beautiful sight, and it was a good change of scenery from the forests of Slytherin Castle. Vasilis decided in that moment he was going to enjoy his time here.

He turned then, and opened the large wooden, and glass doors which led inside. The lights magically turned on as he stepped inside, and he once again smiled at the sight that greeted him. The tile floors, stone walls, dark wooden beams, and grand winding staircase all spoke of Italy, and he felt right at home. The light colors all contrasted greatly with the dark interior of Slytherin Castle, but Vasilis found he didn’t mind. It was a nice change from what he was used to.

“What do you think?” asked the Dark Lord from behind him.

Vasilis turned and gave him a smile. “I think it is excellent Father. Where is my room?”

“Up the stairs and to the left,” he said. “It is the last door on the left, right across from our room.”

Vasilis nodded and turned to go and find it. He walked gracefully up the winding staircase and turned left. He walked slowly down the long corridor, admiring the scenic Italian art that lined the walls as he walked.

After reaching the end of the corridor, he pushed open the heavy wooden door to his room. He was greeted by the sight of a room much like his room within Slytherin Castle. The room contained a large four postered bed, a writing desk, a small sitting area, many book shelves, and another door which he figured led into the bathroom. The only major difference was the lighter color of the sandstone, compared to the gray stone of the castle, and his bed and furniture were white instead of blue and gray. Vasilis found he didn’t mind this change, it reminded him of the Arrowedge dorms in the Imperial Academy.

Vasilis noticed Warpy had unpacked all of his belongings, so he went to his wardrobe and changed out of his dress robes from his birthday party. He decided to put on a thin white dress shirt and black trousers, forgoing a robe because of the warmer temperatures of Italy.

Once he was more comfortable, he picked up a book from his book shelves and moved to sit in the sitting area located next to the large open windows. He spent the next hour reading, and relaxing after the long night of speaking to Dark Order members. Though he didn’t often admit it, he found such environments to be mentally exhausting, and he enjoyed retreating into solitude once it was all over.

After an hour had passed, he heard someone knocking on his door.

“Come in.” He called.

His father opened the door a moment later and stepped inside. Vasilis noticed that the man had also changed out of his dress robes, into black trousers and a dark green dress shirt. The Dark Lord walked over silently, and sat down in the chair across from Vasilis.

The young prince watched as his father rolled up the sleeves of his shirt to his elbows and said,

“As much as I would love to spend the next several days relaxing and enjoying the Villa, I am afraid we cannot. There is work to be done.”

Vasilis set down his book then. “What kind of work Father?”

“Do you remember when you suggested we place all of mine and your mother’s horcruxes under the Fidelus for better protection?” The Dark Lord asked.

“Of course,” he said. “So you want to begin retrieving and hiding them then?”

“Yes,” his father replied. “Like Severus said, Dumbledore’s strength is growing despite the fact that he is in St. Mungos. He will surely be released any day now, and when he gets out he is going to be on a warpath. He wants us dead my son, and he will do anything to make that happen. We need to make sure all of our weaknesses are taken care of.”

“I understand Father. I will help you in any way I can, I promise. Where are we going to begin?” asked Vasilis.

The Dark Lord gave him a wicked smirk. “Well… for this first horcrux, we will need a sacrifice in order to retrieve it. I was thinking we could pay your old caretakers a visit.”

Vasilis moved to sit on the edge of his seat in excitement. “Will they suffer?”

“I have ways of prolonging their suffering,” the Dark Lord drawled, still wearing a smirk. “Don’t worry, they will feel all the pain they put you through... and more.”

The young prince jumped out of his chair then, and threw his arms around his father’s shoulders.

“Thank you.” He whispered.

Voldemort wrapped his arms tightly around him and nodded. “Anything for you My Son.”

 

* * *

 

**August 1st 1992, Number 4 Privet Drive**

 

“Are you ready for this?” asked the Dark Lord with a concerned expression on his face.

Vasilis nodded once and whispered dangerously, “I have never been more ready for anything in my life Father.”

“Good,” he replied. “Remember, it isn’t safe for us here, so just _stupefy_ them, and we will deal with them when we arrive at the location.”

The Dark Prince nodded again in understanding, and walked elegantly towards the front door. He used his wand to unlock it, and stepped inside quietly. He heard the TV was on, so he turned to his left with his wand held out in front of him.

Both Dudley and Vernon were sitting there watching the news, and Vasilis didn’t hesitate to _stupefy_ them. Dudley fell to the floor with a thud, while Vernon just slumped over in his chair.

Vasilis took a moment to kick Vernon in the face with his boot, unable to stop himself from doing so.

Petunia came running around the corner then with a knife in her hand. Vasilis scoffed and sent the knife flying from her hand back into the kitchen. He _stupefied_ her and watched as she fell ungracefully onto the floor.

He walked back around the corner then to see his father standing in front of the door to the cupboard, where he had spent a large portion of his life living.

Vasilis swallowed hard, and watched as the Dark Lord bent down to unlock the latch. Voldemort opened the door slowly, and Vasilis cringed. He knew his father was surely looking at a blood stained cot where he had spent many nights broken and bleeding. A part of him was ashamed then. He wished he would have done more to stop what they did to him.

“Do you think less of me now?” Vasilis asked in a cracked voice.

His father’s head snapped up immediately. His eyes crimson were practically blazing with fury as he shook his head and slammed the door to the cupboard shut. The man didn’t say a word as he took out his wand and levitated the three unconscious bodies into a pile, and tied them together.

Voldemort pulled a galleon out of his pocket and handed it to Vasilis. “Take them to the location. I will be there shortly. I need to burn down the house and make it look like they died in the fire.”

Vasilis frowned a little then at his father's silence. The man hadn’t answered his question, so did that mean he thought less of him? The young prince felt his eyes burn a little as he turned and took hold of the ropes tying together the Dursleys. He clutched the galleon in his hand and whispered,

“Location.”

He felt the familiar spinning sensation of the portkey, which lasted for a few seconds before they appeared in a dark cave next to the raging ocean. Vasilis stood near the bodies of the Dursleys, but didn’t look at them. He chose instead to stare off into the distance as a rising sense of dread began to fill him. What was the Dark Lord going to say when he arrived? Vasilis didn’t know, and he was terrified to find out.

Finally, after about 10 minutes of unbearable waiting the Dark Lord appeared. Vasilis looked up at him with tear filled eyes, waiting for him to say something, but he didn’t. Instead, he held out his arm for Vasilis to take.

The Dark Prince frowned in confusion, but took his father’s arm anyways. The Dark Lord then apparated them away to a place Vasilis didn’t recognize. It was a miserable looking building, dark, and mournful. It was falling apart, and it looked as if it had been abandoned for some time.

Suddenly he saw a sign which read ‘Wool's Orphanage’ and it all made sense.

Voldemort placed a hand on his shoulder, and began leading him through the metal gate. They walked in silence, and Vasilis took the time to observe the place his father had grown up. In that moment he wasn’t sure who had it worse, him, or the Dark Lord.

They entered the orphanage a minute later, and began climbing the steps. His father didn’t say anything until they had reached the very top floor, where a single door was located.

Voldemort looked down at him with a strange expression on his face. “I had a room like most of the other children here, but this was where I was forced to spend most of my time. I doubt anyone has been up here since my time in the orphanage. Go inside.”

Vasilis swallowed nervously, and reached for the door handle. It creaked loudly as he turned it, and pushed the door open.  He stepped inside cautiously, and his eyes began to burn.

On one side of the small room was a tattered blanket and pillow laid out on the hard wooden floor. Vasilis couldn’t help but notice the dark blood stains on the floor boards there.

The other side of the room was much more sinister looking.

Pushed against the wall was a wooden table, with shackles and chains bolted into the wood. There was a crucifix carved into the table, and Vasilis automatically felt sick seeing it.

The Dark Lord’s voice was quiet behind him as he began to speak,

“This was where I lived Vasilis, so to answer your question from earlier, I do not think less of you. They locked me in here, and starved me whenever my accidental magic presented itself. They beat me, and left me here almost every night, broken and bleeding. They even locked me on that table over there and performed exorcisms on me. They believed my magic was the work of a demon, and they wanted to force it out of me.”

Vasilis turned around slowly as tears ran down his face. “I am so sorry Father,” he whispered. “You didn’t deserve this.”

“And you didn’t deserve the abuse you lived through either Vasilis,” he replied with a sorrowful expression on his face. “We both lived through circumstances no child should ever have to endure. But here we are today, strong leaders of a revolution. You must understand, that I will never judge you for what happened to you. How could I possibly judge you when I lived in the same conditions? What happened to us does not make us weak, so I want you to force that thought from your mind and never consider it again. You are my son, and I do not wish for you to spend the remainder of your life plagued by thoughts of weakness. Do not let the Dursleys win.”

“I won’t,” he said determinedly. “I won’t Father, I promise.”

Voldemort nodded then. “Come here.”

Vasilis did, and wrapped his arms around the Dark Lord’s waist. The man held him tightly for a moment, before releasing him.

His father messed up his hair a little before saying,

“Come. I do not wish to keep the Dursleys waiting.”

Vasilis gave him a weak smile and nodded. He took his father’s outstretched arm once again, and soon found himself standing back in the cave.

The Dark Lord took out his wand then, and pointed it at the still unconscious Dursleys. He levitated their bodies, and began walking further into the depths of the cave. Vasilis followed him silently, until they reached a stone wall.

He watched curiously as his father cut Vernon Dursley’s hand with a cutting spell, and forced the hand to rub the dripping blood across the wall. The wall began to move a second later, and Vasilis realized Voldemort had used blood magic to hide the location of his horcrux.

The Dark Lord then walked through the opening in the cave wall, with Vasilis following close behind him. The area they stepped into was so dark Vasilis couldn’t see a thing.

“Cast several lighting charms Vasilis,” he heard his father say. “This cave is rather large, so throw them far out in front of you.”

The Dark Prince did as his father asked without hesitation, making sure to throw the glowing spheres of light as far as he could into the cavern. He raised his eyebrows in surprise as a large lake was revealed to him, with a small island at the center. That was something he had not been expecting.

Voldemort dropped the bodies of the Dursleys to the ground carelessly, causing them to land with a thud before he walked to the edge of the water. He waved his hand through the air, as if he were searching for something. After a few seconds of this, his hands closed around an invisible object, and he began to pull.  

A row boat was soon floating on the surface of the lake, which had been pulled up by an invisible chain. Voldemort stepped inside, and gestured for Vasilis to follow. “Don’t touch the water.” he warned.

Vasilis stepped into the boat, and leaned over the side a little bit, curious to see what was so dangerous about the water. His eyes widened in surprise as he met the eyes of a woman just beneath the surface. Her eyes were cloudy, and her skin was falling from her bones. She looked as if she had been dead for a very long time.

“Inferi?” Vasilis asked.

Voldemort pointed his wand at the Dursleys to levitate them and make them follow behind the boat. Once he was finished, he turned to Vasilis and said,

“Yes, Inferi. This cave has served a dual purpose over the years, both as a hiding place for my horcrux, and as a storage facility for my army of Inferi. They are under my control, so they shouldn’t hurt you, but I do not want to take any risks.”

The boat began to move slowly across the lake then, and Vasilis continued to look into the water. It was somewhat unnerving to see hundreds of bodies floating silently beneath them. He couldn’t help but hope they never needed to use this army for any purpose.

It was several long minutes later when they finally reached the small island. Voldemort and Vasilis both stepped out of the boat, and the Dark Lord once again dropped the Dursley’s bodies onto the ground.

Vasilis approached the translucent, greenish colored basin at the very center of the island. There was a dark colored liquid inside that he didn’t recognize, so he asked, “How does this work Father?”

Voldemort moved to stand beside him then. “That is the Drink of Despair. It was another precaution I put in place to protect the horcrux inside. I am sure you have read about it in one of your books?”

Vasilis eyes widened in recognition, “The Drink of Despair causes delirium, fear, extreme thirst, and pain. It cannot be altered in anyway, which means the person would have to drink it. Anyone who wished to retrieve your horcrux would be forced to drink the potion, which would render them delirious, and extremely thirsty. They would then go to the water to drink, where the inferi would get them. That is genius Father.”

The Dark Lord smirked then, “Yes I thought so. Now, let’s begin. Would you prefer to have Vernon drink the potion? Or would you rather have both him and Petunia watch while Dudley drinks the potion?”

“Dudley,” Vasilis replied without hesitation. “I want them to watch their dear son suffer.”

Voldemort nodded, and conjured three wooden posts. He tied each of the Dursleys to one of the posts before _reinnervating_ them all. They all groaned a little in pain, probably from being dropped so many times by his father, but once Vernon spotted Vasilis, his face began to turn purple.

“You disgusting little piece of shit! I should have fucking killed you when I had the chance!” Vernon bellowed.

Before the Dark Lord even had a chance to do anything, Vasilis had his wand pointed at the whale of a man and hissed,

“ _Crucio.”_

The cave was instantly filled with cries of agony, and Vasilis watching in delight as Vernon thrashed and fought against his bonds. He held the spell until he felt his father’s hand on his shoulder. “Any longer and you will turn his brain to mush. We want him to know what is happening to his son, remember?”  

Vasilis nodded and released the spell. He watched as his father walked slowly towards Vernon, staring at him like a predator would stare at prey. Vernon was pale and shaking from the curse, but he still had the sense of mind to be afraid of the man walking towards him now.

“Do you know who I am?” Voldemort asked in a dangerous tone.

Somehow, Vernon became even paler than before, and Vasilis smiled a little. He enjoyed the affect his father had on other people. Vernon shook his head a little and stutterd,

“You, you look like the boy...”

“Yesss…” his father hissed. “That ‘boy’ as you called him happens to be my son. He is considered to be royalty in the wizarding world, and you dared to harm him. Now what do you think happens to those who harm the Dark Lord’s son?”

Vernon didn’t respond then, he just attempted to make himself as small as possible to avoid the man who was towering over him. The Dark Lord grabbed Vernon’s face then, forcing him to look up into his eyes.

“Because of you, Vernon Dursley, I have had to watch my son sssuffer. Night after night I am awoken from sleep by his nightmares of you. Now how do you think that makess me feel?”  

Voldemort released Vernon and stepped back just as it looked like the other man was about to faint.

“You hurt my son,” his father said quietly. “So now I am going to hurt yours.”

A look of horror came over all three of their faces then, and they began shouting protests, but they ignored them. Vasilis watched as his father reached for a shell shaped object, and filled it with the potion. He then walked over to Dudley, who was whimpering pitifully, and forced the potion down the boy's throat.

It didn’t take long for the effects of the potion to kick in. Seconds after having the potion shoved down his throat, Dudley began screaming, and thrashing against his bonds while looking around the cave in terror.

Petunia cried and shook her head,

“No not my boy, please not my dear Dudley! Please!”

Voldemort moved to gather more of the potion as he said casually,

“You stood by and watched while your husband tortured my son Mrs. Dursley, so now I am forcing you to stand by and watch your son be tortured. I am sure you can understand why I would feel the need to do do this.”

Vasilis nearly laughed hearing that response. Watching his father get revenge against the Dursleys was better than he could have imagined.

The Dark Lord continued to feed the potion to Dudley over the next few minutes, and all the while Vernon and Petunia begged him to stop. But Voldemort didn’t stop, not until the potion was completely gone.

Once the potion was gone, his father reached into the basin and pulled out a golden locket. He handed the locket to the young prince, which he put around his neck without hesitation. The locket immediately surrounded Vasilis with protective magic that he knew was his father’s. Unlike his father’s journal, this horcrux seemed to know who Vasilis was somehow.

Vasilis turned back around when he heard Dudley begging,

“I am so thirsty. Water. Please. Water.”

He smirked a little, and asked, “Are you thirsty Dudley?”

Dudley nodded feverently, so Vasilis approached him and took out his yew wand. He pointed his wand at the ropes tying the boy to the post and vanished them.

“Go ahead Dudley,” he said in a mocking tone. “There is water in the lake. Why don’t you go get some to drink?”

Petunia and Vernon immediately began to shout in protest, but Vasilis silenced them, and watched as Dudley began to stumble towards the water in desperation.

Dudley knelt down near the edge, and reached towards the water without hesitation. Not a second after touching the water, a skeletal hand shot up and grabbed him. Dudley screamed in horror and tried to fight off the inferi, but he wasn’t nearly strong enough. Several more hands shot out of the water, and pulled him in.

A large splash in the lake was followed by silence as the water once again became still. Vasilis then looked back towards Vernon and Petunia to see them both attempting to scream and cry for their son. He enjoyed the looks of pain on their faces. After everything they had done to him, they deserved this.

“Vasilis.”

The Dark Prince looked towards his father who suggested, “Perhaps Mr. Dursley would enjoy watching his wife suffer under the _Cruciatus_ curse.”

Vasilis smiled wickedly, and removed Petunia’s silencing charm so Vernon could hear her scream.

“ _Crucio.”_

Petunia released an ear piercing scream the second the red light engulfed her. The sounds she was releasing were very nearly unbearable, but Vasilis wanted Vernon to hear her. He wanted Vernon to watch those he loved suffer.

The Dark Prince held the curse this time. He held it past the point where he knew she would become a babbling mess, and he continued holding it until he knew she was dead. It took 15 minutes from the time he first cast the spell, until he finally released it.

By that time, Vernon was a silent, sobbing mess where he was tied to the post. He was a pitiful sight, but even then Vasilis did not feel sorry for what he had done. He turned to his father and said,

“I don’t want him to die today. I want him to suffer.”

Voldemort nodded and took out his wand. Vasilis watched as the man conjured a clear glass box and moved it until the bottom of the box just touched the lake, providing a clear view of the bodies floating underneath the surface. Vasilis’ father then released Vernon from his bonds and levitated him into the box which he then conjured a lid for.

Once Vernon was securely in the box, Voldemort moved to the edge of the water and said,

“Bring me Dudley Dursley.”

A minute later the boy’s body was floating on the surface of the lake near where his father was standing. The Dark Lord pointed his wand at Dudley’s body and began murmuring in latin under his breath. Soon enough, Dudley Dursley had been turned into an inferi, and was swimming just under the surface of the lake like the rest of his father’s army.

His father then repeated this process with Petunia, and ordered both of the inferi to constantly stay underneath the glass box so Vernon could always see them.

By the end of this process Vernon was collapsed onto the glass floor of his prison, staring down into the water with a look of longing on his face.

“Warpy,” The Dark Lord called. Warpy appeared a moment later, and he ordered, “I want you to come here every day to refresh the lights of the cave, and give some food and water to Mr. Dursley. You are in charge of making sure he does not die. He is not, under any circumstances to be released from the box unless Vasilis or myself tell you so.”

Warpy nodded quickly before popping back to Villa Smeralda. Once he is gone Vasilis’ father turned to him and said,

“Now he will be forced to see the consequences of his actions every day for the rest of his life. Trust me when I say there is nothing worse than believing you have lost your wife and son.”

Vasilis nodded in understanding. “Thank you Father. Thank you for this.”

“Of course,” he said. “We can come and pay him visits when we have the time. I am sure your mother would love to have some fun with him. She was devastated this morning when she was too sick to join in on the fun.”

The Dark Prince laughed a little, “Oh yes, I believe Mother will enjoy coming here.”

“Yes she will,” Voldemort chuckled. “Now I think it is time for us to leave. We have a horcrux to hide."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep in mind Regulus Black never took Voldemort's locket because he was loyal. Regulus was locked up in Azkaban with the rest of the Death Eaters. 
> 
> Don't forget, I started a different fic that isn't part of this series, just as a side project. It is a modern day Tomione fic, so feel free to read it if you are interested! If not, that's fine!


	11. Academy Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's not a very eventful chapter, so I am sorry for that, but it is necessary. Thank you to all of you who are still reading my works after all this time! The Vampire chapter is almost done, and I hope to have it posted within the next couple of days!

**August 5th 1992, Villa Smeralda**

 

“Where is mother?” asked Vasilis as he sat down next to his father on the veranda.

Voldemort sighed deeply, “She isn't feeling well, so she decided to sleep for awhile.”

“Again?” He asked.

“Yes,” his father replied. “Sickness can be common around this period of pregnancy, but still. I believe I am going to have Healer Andrews come and check on her.”

Vasilis sent his father a reassuring smile, “I am sure she is alright Father. Like you said, it can be common.”

Voldemort looked over to him and nodded, “I do hope you are right My Son.”

The two of them sat in content silence for a long while. Just listening to the waves crash along the rocky cliffs below them. They had finished hiding all of the Horcruxes the day before, and now they were finally able to enjoy a couple weeks of peace before they left for America.

Vasilis was thankful for this. They had been extremely busy ever since he had left Hogwarts, and he was glad to have the opportunity to relax with his family. They had not seen anyone from the Dark Order since coming to Italy, and he found himself enjoying the isolation. It wasn't often he had the chance to fully lower his masks.

His mother had been sick often since they arrived on his birthday, and he could tell his Father was worried. The man was constantly by her side, and his mother often teased him for his over protectiveness, telling him it was only morning sickness and that it would pass.

Despite being ill, the Dark Lady was happy, and very glad to be in Italy. It was obvious she preferred the ocean, and the calming atmosphere of the Villa, to the serious and busy atmosphere of Slytherin Castle.

“You haven't had a nightmare in three days,” noted Voldemort suddenly. “How are you feeling?”

Vasilis nodded. It was true, he hadn't experienced a nightmare. “I feel good Father. I think finally dealing with the Dursleys helped greatly. I've also noticed listening to the waves as I fall asleep helps me relax more thoroughly. Perhaps it has something to do with that, or just having a brief break from the Dark Order. I'm not sure.”

Voldemort smiled ever so slightly. “I am glad you are doing better,” he said. “let’s just hope it continues.”

Vasilis nodded in agreement, and listened to his father say,

“I suppose now is a good time to tell you Dumbledore was released from St. Mungo's yesterday.”

The Dark Prince frowned deeply and asked, “What are the papers saying?”

“They are saying the healers are unsure of what happened, but they believe Dumbledore was exposed to some sort of poison by accident, which then led to his hallucinations.”

“So everything is going to go back to normal then,” Vasilis said with a scowl. “Once again he is going to have influence over the magical world.”

“Oh I wouldn't say that.” replied Voldemort with a smirk.

The young Prince frowned in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Voldemort reached over to grab the Daily Prophet from the table next to him, and handed it to Vasilis.

“Your friend, Rita Skeeter came through. She published an article just this morning about the girl Dumbledore was yelling about in the Great Hall after being cursed by your followers. Ariana was his sister, and Dumbledore is responsible for her death.”

Vasilis greedily snatched the paper out of his father’s hands, and devoured the article written on the first page.

 

**_Dumbledore A Murderer?_ **

_Loyal readers, as you all know, the great Albus Dumbledore was recently treated at St. Mungo’s for what was called a mental break down. He has now been released, and is back on Hogwarts grounds, but we have all been wondering, who is Ariana?_

_For those of you who do not remember, Dumbledore was initially transported to St. Mungo’s after yelling at a young Hufflepuff student about a girl named Ariana. Naturally this made me curious. Who is Ariana, and why was she important to Dumbledore? These questions caught my attention, and I immediately set out to find answers._

_I started my search looking through old newspaper archives, and it was there that I found several very interesting articles. The first of which spoke of Dumbledore’s father, Percival Dumbledore, and Dumbledore's sister, Ariana Dumbledore. As it turns out my dear readers,  Ariana Dumbledore was attacked by three muggle children when she was six years old. She was traumatized by the attack, which then rendered her magical abilities completely unstable and uncontrollable. Percival Dumbledore was naturally furious over the attack on his youngest child, and set out to seek revenge. Percival Dumbledore then found each of the boys, and proceeded to kill them. This terrible crime earned him a life sentence in Azkaban, where he later died._

_The next article I found involved the death of Albus Dumbledore’s mother, Kendra Dumbledore. According to the article, it was speculated at the time of her death that Kendra Dumbledore was killed by a burst of uncontrolled magic from the now 14 year old Ariana. This information was never confirmed, but evidence strongly suggests this is the case. After Kendra’s death, Albus Dumbledore became the legal guardian of both of his siblings, Ariana, and Aberforth Dumbledore. Which, after speaking to several of Albus Dumbledore’s neighbors from the time, seemed to be a roll he resented greatly. The Dumbledore’s neighbors proceeded to tell me he neglected his duties as a legal guardian, which then forced his younger brother, Aberforth, to take care of the younger Ariana._

_Now readers, this is where things really start to get interesting. As it turns out, Dumbledore’s neighbor was the aunt of Gellert Grindelwald, and during a visit to Godric’s Hollow, Grindelwald and Dumbledore quickly became friends. They spent a large amount of time together, and it was even speculated that the two young men were lovers, until one fateful day where that all changed._

_According to Grindelwald's aunt, Aberforth Dumbledore confronted his brother and Grindelwald one day after he became irritated with Albus’ lack of responsibility regarding their younger sister. This confrontation then led to a duel, which resulted in the death of young Ariana Dumbledore. It is unknown which of the three wizards cast the spell which caused her death, but the question still stands: If Dumbledore hadn’t neglected his duties as a guardian, would she still be alive today?_

_This also raises other questions. Just how involved was Dumbledore with Grindelwald? We all know Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald in the legendary duel, ending the great wizarding war. But before that, did Dumbledore assist Grindelwald in any way regarding the war? Were they lovers? Is Dumbledore another Dark Lord hiding in the shadows? I am determined to find out my dear readers._

 

Vasilis grinned broadly as he finished the article. This was even better than he had ever expected, and he couldn’t wait to see what Rita managed to find in the future.

“I need to send Rita a bonus.” He murmured.

“Yes, she has done very well with the task you assigned her.”

“Dumbledore should have done a better job of covering his tracks. I’m surprised he didn’t actually.”

Voldemort nodded in agreement. “I am surprised as well. That seems unlike him.”

The Dark Lord stood from his chair then and said, “Stay here, I will be right back.”

Vasilis looked at him curiously, but stayed seated as he watched him go. As he waited he reread Rita’s article several times, still overjoyed to know the world was going to continue to question Dumbledore’s actions.

His father returned several minutes later with a stack of papers in his hands. He passed it over to Vasilis, before sitting back down in his chair.

“These are going to be your professors this year in the Academy. The first page lists each professor and the subject they will teach, while the following pages go in depth with their credentials and backgrounds.”

Vasilis looked down at the first page, and smiled as he read the list,

 

**_Professors/ Subjects_ **

**_Headmaster_ ** **_: Cygnus Black_ **

**_Deputy Headmaster:_ ** **_Severus Snape_ **

 

**Core:**

**Potions- Severus Snape**

**Transfiguration- Barty Crouch Jr.**

**Charms- Criselda Hahn**

**Offensive and Defensive Magic- Rodolphus Lestrange**

**History Of Magic- Sirius Black**

**Herbology- Alexandria Acciai**

**Ancient Runes- Kayaan Acharya**

**Arithmancy- Raissa Dufour**

 

**Electives:**

**Alchemy- Louis Lefevre**

**Latin- Massimo Venturi**

**Spell Crafting- Raissa Dufour**

**Warding- Kayaan Acharya**

**Dueling- Luca Acciai**

**Battle Tactics and Strategy- Luca Acciai**

**Healing- Alexandria Acciai**

**Politics, Culture, and International Studies- Cygnus Black**

**Weaponry- Kiyoshi Hirai**

**Martial Arts- Kiyoshi Hirai**

**The Darkest Arts- Dmitry Zykov**

**Animagus Training- Rabastan Lestrange (Two hours once a week)**

 

**_Heads of houses_ **

**Arrowedge House- Luca Acciai**

**Raventhorn House- Kayaan Acharya**

**Silvermoon House- Barty Crouch Jr.**

**Fireclaw House- Rodolphus Lestrange**

 

“I have heard of most of these people before,” he said. “Kayaan Acharya is a brilliant ancient runes and ward master. I own several of his books actually. Didn’t Raissa Dufour create the silencing spell?”

“Yes she did. She also created the knockback jinx.”

“How on earth did you manage to convince all of these people to teach? Some of them were already teaching at other schools. For example, Dmitry Zykov was the Durmstrang Dark Arts Professor, and Louis Lefevre was the Alchemy Professor at Beauxbatons?”

Voldemort smirked, looking very pleased with himself as he said, “Most of them I have known for a very long time, and they are loyal to me. The Lefevre family represents France on the International Dark Council, and the Zykov family is a rather wealthy Russian Dark Family. They were grateful for the opportunity to teach at my son’s school.”

Vasilis nodded in understanding. “What about Sirius Black? Severus is going to end up killing him.”

His father laughed a little, “Yes he might not make it to the end of the year, but I believe Cygnus will keep him in line as Headmaster. Sirius is the epitome of a Gryffindor, but he does have a good mind so I decided to make use of it. If his presence there bothers you, I will have him replaced.”

“No it is fine,” Vasilis said. “If he becomes an issue, I will deal with him. Besides, he tried to help rescue me, so I am curious what he is like. How are we going to deal with the British public when they learn Death Eaters are teaching in the school? Especially Death Eaters who are suppose to be locked away in Azkaban right now. We are required to release the professors list. It will be chaos, and Light families are going to seek to remove their children from the school.”

Voldemort nodded and explained, “Yes you are right, it will be chaos. But, I have found a way around it. I have found proof that Remus Lupin was the one to torture the Longbottoms into insanity. The Lestranges, Barty, and your mother were sent to Azkaban because it was believed they had been the ones to torture them. I have also foraged evidence that they were _imperised_ to become Death Eaters. Once I have Lucius hand over that evidence to the DMLE, a department which is filled with Dark Order members by the way, the muggles who are polyjuiced to look like them will be released, and their names will be cleared. I doubt your mother’s name will be cleared because she is my wife, but that does not matter. She won’t be teaching at the Academy.”

“Amazing,” Vasilis breathed. “When are you going to release that evidence?”

“I already have. I released it in May, and it is currently being investigated by the DMLE. Corban Yaxley has assured me their names will all be cleared by the end of the week.”

“And you didn’t tell me?” Vasilis asked.

“You were under enough stress at the time. You were taking your O.W.L.S, and you were finalizing Academy plans. I didn’t want you to have to worry about this as well,” his father said.

“I understand.” He then paused for a moment before adding, “The Academy acceptance letters were sent out a few days ago. Just before we left Slytherin Castle I received a letter from the Italian ministry stating 375 students have enrolled and will be attending in September. Most of which are from Britain and Italy. But there are also quite a few students from France, Germany, Russia, Romania, India, and surprisingly America.”   

“Excellent,” his father said with a smile. “Hogwarts won’t be able to compete with your numbers. How did you do on your placement tests?”

Vasilis reached for his journal, where he had placed the parchment containing his results. He pulled out the folded piece of paper before handing it over to his father.

 

**Vasilis Marvolo Slytherin Placement Test Results:**

**_Core:_ **

**Potions -** _Level 6_

 **Transfiguration -** _Level 6_

 **Charms -** _Level 6_

 **Offensive and Defensive Magic -** _Level 7_

 **Arithmancy -** _Level 7_

 **Ancient Runes -** _Level 7_

 **Herbology -** _Level 6_

 **History of Magic -** _Level 6_

 

**_Electives:_ **

**Spell Crafting -** _Level 6_

 **Warding -** _Level 6_

 **Battle Tactics and Strategy -** _Level 2_

 **Martial Arts -** _Level 1_

 **Weaponry -** _Level 1_

 **The Darkest Arts -** _Level 6_

 **Animagus** **_\- -_ ** _Level 1_

 

Voldemort raised an eyebrow seeing his results. “You did very well,” he said. “Do you plan on taking all of these electives?”

Vasilis just shrugged,

“I haven’t decided yet. If I did, I would need to ask the Italian Ministry for a time turner, otherwise I would never have enough time to take all of them.”

“Don’t overwhelm yourself my son. But if you need a time turner, I have one you may use.”

“Thank you Father.” Vasilis said. He then hesitated for a moment before asking cautiously,

“We also recieved our supply list about a week ago, and Draco has asked me if we are all going to go school shopping together for our uniforms and books. I told him I had to ask you first. Would that be alright?”

The Dark Lord stared at him for a long moment with a blank expression on his face. Vasilis shifted nervously in his seat, wondering if he was about to get in trouble for suggesting he go in public, and potentially put himself in harm's way. But after a while Voldemort nodded and said, “You may go, but I will be coming with you.”

Vasilis’ eyes widened in surprise. “How? No one can know you are back yet Father?”

“Most people do not know what I look like,” he said. “But I will be using glamours to disguise myself. You needn't worry, no one will recognize me.”

 

* * *

 

**August 8th 1992, Villa Smeralda**

 

“Are you sure you are going to be alright here with Rodolphus and Narcissa?”

Vasilis’ mother smiled at his father and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. “I will be fine Marvolo, I have been feeling much better today. Now go, you both have work to do.”

Voldemort sighed, very much looking like he would prefer to stay with the Dark Lady in the Villa. He bent a little to kiss her forehead and murmured,

“If you need anything call me through the bond. I will be listening.”

“I will be fine,” she insisted with a laugh. “Now both of you need to go.”

Vasilis walked over and gave her a hug, before his father placed a hand on his shoulder and activated a portkey. They both appeared in the entrance hall of Malfoy Manor a moment later, and walked towards the floo room.

Several members of Vasilis Inner Circle were there waiting for them, including Draco, Felix, Blaise, Daphne, Neville, Theo, and the Twins, along with Lucius and Severus. They all bowed as the two Slytherin’s walked into the room.

“Rise,” Voldemort said. “For today my name is Marius Black, and you may refer to me as Mr. Black. I am a distant relative of Cygnus Black visiting from Russia for a few days. Do you all understand?”

Everyone nodded quickly, looking slightly fearful of the man standing in front of them. They all watched curiously as Voldemort used spells to make his hair straight instead of wavy, and slicked it back. He then placed a strong glamour on himself to make his eyes dark brown, and changed his bone structure to give himself the key Black family features. Vasilis found himself thinking that his father could have been his grandfather’s son in that moment, he looked so much like Cygnus Black it was almost unnerving.

Once he was finished, everyone walked over to the floo, and one by one they traveled to the Leaky Cauldron.

Vasilis and his father were the very last to step through, and the group surrounded them as they walked through the entrance to Diagon Alley. Voldemort quickly fell into step with Severus and Lucius, while Draco and Felix moved to stand on Vasilis either side.

“Thank Merlin,” Draco exclaimed. “I thought I was never going to get out of shopping with my mother. Do you remember what that was like Vasilis?”

The Dark Prince shivered at the memory of spending hours upon hours in Twilfit and Tattings with Narcissa. As much as he loved his aunt, he never wanted to go shopping with her ever again.

“Yes, thank Merlin for that small mercy.” he said. “Let’s go to Twilfit and Tattings first and get our uniforms. I want us to wear our white and black uniforms while we shop to advertise the Academy.”

They all nodded in agreement and made their way to the store. The Dark family’s tailor, Piero Moretti, had finished the final touches on the uniforms several months earlier, and had sent the designs out to every major wizarding district around the world so students could be fitted in their home countries.

Thankfully Lucius had contacted Twilfit and Tattings ahead of time to inform them a larger group of students were all being fitted for their Academy uniforms today, and they had brought in extra workers to help. Within the hour they were all standing in the store wearing their white high collared, military officer jackets, with black trim, black trousers, black dragon hide boots, and black capes, where the Academy symbol was proudly displayed. They looked intimidating, and Vasilis was more than a little proud to see his most loyal standing before him, dressed in his school’s uniform.

Severus was the last one to be fitted for his uniform, and they all watched the process with amusement written on their faces. The professors uniform was the complete opposite of the students uniform. It contained a black military jacket with white trim, black boots, a white cape, and white trousers. It was obvious from the sneer on his face that Severus hated the fact that he wasn’t wearing all black, but the uniform looked good on him.

After a long while they finished fitting Severus’ uniform, and he walked over to join the rest of the group. He sneered when he saw the smiles on their faces, “I’m glad you all find this so amusing.”

“You look fine Uncle Sev, relax.” Draco said with a laugh.

The Dark Lord walked up behind him and patted his shoulder with a smirk on his face,

“You look good Severus, I am sure Rodolphus will certainly think so.”

That comment caused Severus to blush fiercely, and the rest of the group laughed. It was rare anyone was able to get a reaction out of Severus, but the Dark Lord, and Lucius seemed to be rather good at it.

The group left the clothing shop a few minutes later after paying for their uniforms, and stepped back out into the warm summer air. Diagon Alley was rathe busy at this time of day, and the group immediately drew the attention of everyone nearby. Whispers broke out, and Vasilis smirked at the small pieces of conversation he managed to hear,

“They are attending the Academy…”

“That is Vasilis Slytherin, the founder…”

“He is only 12…”

“I heard Dumbledore is losing support…”

Rita Skeeter suddenly appeared out of the Daily Prophet offices with a photographer by her side. She approached him immediately and asked,

“Mr. Slytherin! Are those the uniforms you will be wearing at the Imperial Academy?”

His smirk grew. Rita was so calculating, and he found himself quickly becoming fond of her. She knew he wanted publicity, and she was going to give it to him.

“Yes they are Miss Skeeter.” He said.

“Would you be willing to pose for a quick picture with your friends and Professor Snape? I am sure all of Britain would love a taste of what the Academy is going to be like, and a picture of the school’s founder in uniform is too good of an opportunity to pass up.”

Vasilis nodded in agreement, and his followers quickly moved to stand on either side of him, while Severus stood behind him. They all kept serious expressions on their faces while she had the photographer snap several pictures.

When she was finished she took out her notebook and asked, “May I ask you a few questions Mr. Slytherin about the Academy?”

“Of course. He said. The more articles she published, the better it would be for him.

“About how many students will be attending the Academy this coming school year?”

“I was just informed by the Ministry that 375 students from around the world have passed the intelligence tests, and have enrolled in the Academy.”

“And when will you be releasing the complete professors list?”

“About a week from now,” he said. “We are just finalizing our decisions now.” In reality, they needed to wait until the Lestranges and Barty had been cleared of all Death Eater charges, then they could release the list.

“This will be the Academy’s very first year running, how do you think it will go?”

“We have been planning this for months. All rules and regulations have been put in place, and the curriculum design is almost finished. I believe this year is going to be an excellent year not only for the Academy, but also for the magical world. Starting September 1st, the magical children of the world will begin their educations, and will begin preparing to work in order to better magical society as a whole. Academy graduates are going to be among the most qualified witches and wizards in the world, and I am certain we will do everything in our power to make things better. The Academy is a symbol of a new world, one where witches and wizards prosper more than they ever have before.”

Rita greedily wrote down everything he said before closing her notebook and nodding.

“Thank you Mr. Slytherin, I believe I have everything I need. I will try to have the article published by tomorrow morning.”

Vasilis sent her a smile, “Thank you Miss Skeeter, you have done well.”

He wasn’t just talking about right now, he was also talking about the Dumbledore article she had written several days earlier. Rita seemed to get the reference, because she smirked and said, “I look forward to writing many future articles Mr. Slytherin. Good day.”

Vasilis nodded in farewell, and turned back to his group. Together they made their way to the bookstore, and stationery shop where they bought their books, and enough parchment and quills to last them the year. Eyes continued to follow them as they walked through the alley, and people seemed to be rather impressed by their appearances. Future Academy students saw their uniforms, and rushed to the tailors to get their own made, while Hogwarts students glared at them in envy.

Just before they reached Magical Menagerie to buy treats for their owls and ravens, they were stopped by a group of aurors. One of them, a light brown haired man with a round face stepped forward with a smirk.

“Ahhh look who it is, the Baby Dark Lord. We have been looking for you Mr. Slytherin.”

Vasilis felt his father step up behind him and place a hand on his shoulder.

“Now just what do you want with my nephew?” He asked in a dangerous tone.

The auror sneered at Voldemort and replied, “Auror Moody asked us to bring him in for questioning regarding the Academy.”

“Well I am afraid that won’t be happening,” replied the Dark Lord. “As my nephew has already told Auror Moody, if he so much as speaks to him, the entire Ministry for Magic will come down on his head. You tell Auror Moody that if he wishes to keep his job and stay out of Azkaban, he will never again come near my nephew.”

The auror looked like he wanted to argue, but another auror who Vasilis knew to be Pius Greengrass, one of his father’s followers, stepped in.

“He is right John. They basically own the Wizengamot. I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel like losing my job.”

The auror looked conflicted for a moment, before he sent them one last glare and turned to walk in the other direction. His father waited until the aurors were gone before he let the glamour on his crimson eyes slip. He then leaned over to Pius and whispered, “I want that one dead by the end of the day. Make it look like an accident.”

Pius looked terrified as he realized who was talking to him, “It will be done.” he said.

Fury was blazing in the Dark Lord’s eyes as he nodded. “Good, now go.”

Pius turned to follow the other aurors, and once they were gone, Voldemort looked down at Vasilis and said, “You and I are leaving now before they change their minds. Lucius can buy the rest of your supplies.”

Vasilis knew better than to argue with his father when he was angry, so he nodded and allowed the Dark Lord to lead him back to the floo without another word.


	12. No Need to Worry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short little chapter before the Slytherins leave for America. Hope you like it!

**August 15th 1992, Villa Smeralda**

 

“Mother, you are looking better.” 

The Dark Lady looked up from her book and smiled, “I am feeling much better darling. Why don’t you come join me for a little while?” 

Vasilis nodded, and moved to sit across from her on the villa’s veranda. 

“Warpy,” his mother called suddenly. 

The house elf appeared a moment later, a look of rapture on his face as he waited for an order. 

“Bring us coffee,” she said, “decaf for me.” 

“Yes My Lady,” Warpy replied. “Anything else My Lady?” 

Vasilis’ mother waved him away, “No Warpy. That is all, thank you.” 

The house elf popped away, only to return a moment later with their beverages. 

Vasilis picked up the clear glass mug and took a sip of the dark, slightly bitter liquid inside. He hummed in appreciation when he realized Warpy had made it just the way he liked. Black, with just a little bit of sugar. 

They sat quietly together for a long while, just enjoying the cool ocean breeze, and the warmth of the setting sun. 

The Dark Lord had been locked away in his study a large majority of the day finalizing plans for their trip to America. 

Much to Vasilis’ surprise, they were going to take a muggle plane across the Atlantic. When he asked his father why, he explained that they needed to take extra precautions when traveling from now on, especially after their trip to Romania. They didn’t want another ‘Nymphadora Tonks’ incident. Magical methods of travel were much easier for Dumbledore to track than muggle methods.  

The Dark Prince wasn’t looking forward to using anything remotely muggle, but Lucius used some of the Dark Order funds to procure a private jet for them. At least he wouldn’t be forced to endure the presence of muggles for the excruciatingly long flight to America, he thought. Lucius had hired two muggle pilots to fly the plane, but thankfully they wouldn’t be spending much time with them. 

Vasilis, Draco, Lucius, and the Dark Lord would spend the flight discussing upcoming plans. They had originally planned to bring a much larger delegation, but decided against it in the long run. The negotiations would go much faster if there were less people involved, and Vasilis knew his father wanted to return to the Dark Lady as quickly as possible. 

He looked to his mother then, feeling slightly worried about leaving. The slight swell of her abdomen was visible now, and he didn’t like the idea of leaving her behind while he traveled halfway around the world. He was very protective of his family now that he finally had one, and he would be devastated if anything happened to them. 

“Mother,” he said. “Are you sure you will be alright when we leave tomorrow?” 

The Dark Lady took a sip of her coffee before answering, 

“Yes Vasilis, I will be fine. Both Rodolphus and Narcissa will be here, and Healer Andrews will be visiting several times. There is nothing to worry about.” 

“Alright,” he replied. “As long as you are sure.” 

“I am darling, It will be fine. But speaking of Healer Andrews, he will be here shortly to give me a check up. We are going to find out the genders of the baby's today.” 

Vasilis smiled, “Really?” 

“Yes,” she said. “Healer Andrews as created a new spell that allows us to find out earlier than usual.” 

“I see,” he replied. 

The Dark Lady stared at him for a long moment, seemingly trying to figure out his thoughts. 

“Are you truly okay with this Vasilis? Are you truly okay with our family growing?” 

“I’m… I am nervous,” he admitted for the first time. He looked down at the coffee cup still held in his hands. He ran his thumb over its rim, and continued, “I understand that you and father both love me and care for me, but I am nervous they will take up all of your time once they are born, and you won’t have time for me anymore. It would be understandable if that were the case. I mean, I am older, and they will need more attention than I will.” 

Bella reached over to take one of his hands in her own, causing him to look up again. She gave him a loving smile and assured him, 

“Vasilis we will  _ always _ make time for you. You have nothing to fear darling. Your father and I love you more than you will ever know, and we will never stop loving you or wanting to see you. Things will be different, yes, but in a good way. I know you are worried, but you must trust me in this, alright?” 

“Alright,” he replied. 

“Did I ever tell you about what your father and I were like after you were born?” 

Vasilis shook his head, “No you didn’t.” 

“I couldn’t even get your father to put you down for more than 15 minutes,” she said with a laugh. “He held you constantly. Whenever he was home he had you with him. He would hold you while he did paperwork in his office, he would take you for long walks in the forest, talking to you the whole while. I wasn’t much better honestly. I would spend hours reading to you in the library, and playing with you. We couldn’t stand to be away from you for very long.” 

“Really?” He asked with a laugh. 

“Yes really. Now, we may not carry you around like we did when you were a baby,” she said, “but that doesn’t mean we love you any less, or that we like spending time with you any less. Do you understand?” 

“Yes mother, I understand,” he replied truthfully. 

She squeezed his hand a little tighter. “Good, now no more worrying. There is nothing to worry about.”

 

* * *

 

 

 

Several hours later Vasilis was sitting in the library with his father, while they waited for Healer Andrews to finish up the Dark Lady’s appointment. 

“Well,” the Dark Lord began. “Boys or girls? Or one of each?” 

“Two boys,” Vasilis said immediately. “What do you think?” 

“I believe they will both be boys, but your mother disagrees. She thinks they will both be girls. She bet me a hundred galleons on it.”

“You two bet on the gender of your children?” Vasilis asked with a laugh. 

“Why not,” Voldemort said with a shrug. “I believe Rodolphus started a betting pool among those in the Inner Circle. He thinks I am unaware of it, but he doesn’t seem to understand I always know everything.” 

“How much?” 

“The last I heard, the pool was up to 5,000 galleons.” 

Vasilis let out a whistle, “Well that's a high price.” 

“I agree. Normally I wouldn’t approve of followers betting on my children, but spirits are high because of the pregnancy, and I do not wish to ruin the high morale. They work better when they have something to look forward to.” 

The two Slytherins looked up as they heard the Dark Lady’s footsteps in the hall. 

She was smiling brightly as she walked inside, and they moved to sit on the edge of their seats, eager to hear the news. 

Voldemort raised an eyebrow, “Well are you planning on telling us my dear?” 

“One of each,” she breathed. “A boy and girl.” 

The Dark Lord’s grin matched his wife’s, and within seconds the was standing in front of her, pulling her into an embrace. 

“A boy and girl,” he said. “We were both wrong.” 

Bella smiled and nodded, “Yes but I don’t care. This is perfect.” 

Vasilis moved to stand next to his parents, and was quickly pulled into a crushing hug by his mother. 

“You are going to be an excellent big brother,” she whispered in his ear. 

“I hope so. Have you picked out names yet? Or are you waiting until they are born?” 

His parents shared a look, and Vasilis knew they were communicating through their bond. 

They stayed like that for a full minute before looking back to him. 

“We picked out names soon after you were born, since we were planning on having more children at the time. We think we will use those names for your siblings,” his mother said. 

“What are the names?” 

His parents shared on more look before his father replied, “Atlas Caius Slytherin, and Marcella Idylla Slytherin.” 

“Atlas and Marcella,” Vasilis said, testing out the names with a smile. “I like it.”

"Good," said his mother. "They can't get here soon enough." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Name meanings:  
> Atlas : Strength, or endurance. Atlas was a Titan who held the weight of the sky/world on his shoulders as a punishment from Zeus.   
> Caius: Rejoice 
> 
> Marcella: Feminine version of Mars or Marcello. Strength, warlike, or young warrior.   
> Idylla: Perfect
> 
> And I'm not sure if I have ever said this, but Vasilis means "regal" or "king".
> 
> The next chapter really will be the trip to America. I am an American, so if I use any terms or references in the next chapter that international readers do not understand, please let me know so I can explain. I try to be as neutral as possible in my wording but it is difficult to do sometimes.Thanks for being patient!


	13. Good Idea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short Blaise and Vasilis teaser. Hope you all enjoy ;)

 

**August 17th 1992**

 

“Vasilis?”

The young prince looked up to see his father walking towards him. He set down his book and replied “Yes father?”

“I'm afraid Draco has come down with an illness and will be unable to join us on the trip to America.”

“Is Draco alright?” He asked, worry showing through his expression. 

The Dark Lord nodded, “Yes he is alright. Just a mild case of mermaids fever. He will be alright within a week or so.”

Vasilis winced when he heard that. Mermaids fever was a painful illness that involved a fever, body aches, and over sensitized skin that changed colors, almost making it look like mermaids scales. 

The Dark Lord sat across from him. “You will need to find someone to replace Draco on the mission. Someone else you trust with diplomacy.”

Vasilis thought quietly to himself for a moment before nodding. “Blaise would be a good option. I trust him and he hasn't joined me on a mission yet.”

Vasilis thought he noticed a slight smile cross his father's face, but decided he was imagining things. 

“Very well,” the Dark Lord said. “Inform him immediately. We leave in two hours.”

 

* * *

 

Vasilis couldn’t help the way his lips quirked as the plane began to lift off the runway. The feeling reminded him greatly of quidditch, and it had been many months since he last played. He missed it, and he couldn’t wait to play for Arrowedge in the coming weeks. 

He was pleasantly surprised when he stepped onto the muggle plane with his father a little while earlier. He hated muggle inventions as a general rule, but the luxurious interior of the plane was difficult to ignore. 

Vasilis was seated across from Blaise near the back of the plane while his father sat across from Lucius near the front. 

Lucius became pale as the plane took off, even more so than usual which he found amusing. It wasn’t often one caught a Malfoy looking uncomfortable. 

Blaise seemed to enjoy the take off as much as Vasilis, while the Dark Lord ignored it entirely, instead choosing to read reports written by the Dark Order spies. 

Vasilis watched intently as the plane began to rise over the clouds. It was early morning and he had to admit it was a beautiful view. The light from the sun caused the clouds to glow a deep orange, and he decided maybe flying wasn’t such a bad idea. 

The one aspect Vasilis absolutely loathed about this trip was the muggle clothing he had been forced to wear. The pilots and servants were muggle, so it wasn’t acceptable for them to be dressed in their traditional wizard clothing. 

He noticed Blaise also looked somewhat uncomfortable in muggle clothing. Blaise was wearing Black trousers with a gray wool overcoat, and white dress shirt underneath. Vasilis found himself thinking that the colors looked good on Blaise, though he much preferred him in magical designer clothing. 

Vasilis frowned a little at that thought. Why did he care what Blaise wore? 

“Are you alright Vasilis?” 

The Dark Prince looked up and met his friend's worried look. He nodded, “I'm fine.”

Blaise gave him a slight smile, “Good.”

Vasilis returned his smile, and they fell into a comfortable silence. He was glad Blaise was never the type to force a conversation. Back at Hogwarts it was easy to sit in a room with Blaise and simply read. They could sit for hours and not say a word. 

But today Vasilis found himself feeling more curious about the boy sitting across from him. He had known Blaise for years, but he didn't really  _ know  _ him. Not in the same way he knew Draco or Felix. Vasilis then realized he needed to start making more of an effort to know his inner circle in the future. They were friends, but they spent most of their time studying and planning. Having fun was rare and he needed to change that. 

What was the point of surviving and preparing for a war if they didn't actually live? Vasilis realized in that moment he didn't want to look back at his childhood and realize he never actually had the chance to be a child. His mother had been hinting at this for months, and he only just now realized she was right. 

When he returned home he would make it a point to take a break from studying once in awhile to see his friends.

They both sat in silence for awhile longer before Blaise suddenly said, “I had fun that day Vasilis.”

“Which day?” Vasilis asked, feeling a bit confused. 

“The day we danced,” Blaise clarified with a nervous smile.

“Oh,” Vasilis replied, feeling his face heat up ever so slightly. “Yes, so did I. Perhaps… Perhaps we should do it again in the future.”

Blaise gave him a bright smile, which caused Vasilis’ stomach to feel a bit odd. He decided that maybe getting to know his friends a little more might be a very good idea. 

 


End file.
